The University of Richmond men’s lacrosse team improved to 5-2 for the season with a 14-8 victory over University of Maryland Baltimore County on March 8 at the Robins Stadium.
The Spiders have had a busy week after a rare Tuesday matchup on March 4.
“I thought we were opportunistic, I thought they were opportunistic,” Head Coach Dan Chemotti said in a postgame press conference. “Three games in six days is not easy, so being able to figure it out in a situation like that, I was pretty happy with them. ”
Neither team was able to dominate the other in the first quarter. UMBC opened the contest before Richmond answered with two goals of its own. Looking to further expand their lead, the Spiders fired off three more shots, none finding the cage. The Retrievers carded another goal with seven minutes on the clock, tying the game 2-2. A scoring drought incited for the rest of the quarter as Spiders and Retrievers struggled against one another.
Senior attacker Max Merklinger netted the first goal of the second quarter. UMBC pushed back, recording two goals. The Spiders finally found the separation they were looking for, recording a 6-1 run sparked by junior attacker Aidan O’Neil. The score favored the Spiders 9-5 at the break. Richmond’s lead was aided by Merklinger’s three goals.
“Max is a ball player,” Chemotti said. “He’s great. The energy he brings us, the intelligence and just the little things. He’s such a great leader.”
The third quarter saw action similar to the first quarter, the teams matching each other 2-2. They evenly carded five shots on goal and three saves. Richmond maintained its lead going into the final quarter.
Finding their rhythm once again, the Spiders opened the fourth quarter with a 3-0 run in two minutes, furthering their lead to 14-7. A scoring drought then incited for 10 minutes before the Retrievers managed one last goal with two minutes on the clock, leaving the game 14-8 at the buzzer.
Pacing the Spiders, Merklinger set a career high of six points with five goals and an assist. This breaks his previous career high four points he set in Richmond’s last matchup on March 4 against Mercyhurst University.
“It was a great team win. The sun was shining,” Merklinger said. “No complaints from me, just looking to get after it this week with our next opponent.”
With two more non-conference games left in the season, the Spiders go on to face Duke University at home on March 8 at 11:30 a.m.
The Blue Devils have proven to be a tough opponent for Richmond, boasting an 8-1 record against the Spiders. The Spiders haven’t recorded a victory against Duke since the two teams first met in 2016. However, UR has been upset-minded this season, toppling No. 7 University of Virginia and nearly upsetting No. 3 Cornell.
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Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu
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