The UMBC men’s lacrosse team started their season in the rain on Saturday, Feb. 10, downing the Richmond Spiders 9-6. The team began with an early goal from junior political science major Billy Nolan less than 2 minutes into the game. The Retrievers went down from there, giving up 4 quick goals to cause a goalkeeper change. Head coach Ryan Moran elected to bring in freshman Tommy Lingner to stop the Spider’s attack.
Local high school teammates freshmen Steven Zichelli and Trevor Patschorke each played well on attack for the Retrievers, scoring 2 goals each, with Zichelli picking up 2 assists. The offense worked together for UMBC, blending the midfield and the attack into one strong offensive unit. The offense tallied 25 shots throughout the course of action, putting 15 on target, and scoring 9 goals.
Richmond entered the game ranked No. 20 in the nation according to an Inside Lacrosse national poll, and came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. The turning point in the game for UMBC came when freshman Tommy Lingner was called upon to takeover as goalie. Lingner stopped 13 of the 15 shots he faced after entering the game in the ninth minute. Richmond shot the ball 35 times, including 21 on goal, but scored only 6 times.
Billy Nolan would finish the game with a hat trick and one assist, and was a valuable player on the field for UMBC. On paper, Richmond was the better team, but in the end, the scoreboard awarded a victory to the Retrievers.
This was the first win for UMBC against Richmond since 2015 which ended 9-5, and their first season opener win since 2011 against Presbyterian College. The Retrievers Men’s Lacrosse team will now face the United States Naval Academy on Feb. 17 at 1:30 p.m. in Annapolis.
