For the second-consecutive week, UMBC's Drew Westervelt (Bel Air, Md./John Carroll) has been tabbed America East men's lacrosse Player of the Week, while teammate Cayle Ratcliffe (Victoria, B.C./Western Reserve) has been named America East Rookie of the Week for the third time this season. The awards were announced Monday (April 23).
Westervelt tied his career high with nine points (three goals, six assists) in 20-11 win over Vermont on Saturday. The nine points ties the second-highest single game total in the nation (Division I) this season. He became the 11th player in school history to hit the 100-goal plateau, passing former teammate Brendan Mundorf by one point and moving into fifth place on UMBC’s all-time scoring list with 186 points (101 goals, 85 assists). Westervelt has set a personal high with 51 points and becomes the 12th Retriever to score 50 or more points in a season at the Division I level.
He produced his sixth-consecutive multi-goal game with a first period hat trick in the 20-11 win over Vermont. Ratcliffe leads the team with 28 goals and was the third-leading freshman goal scorer in the country entering the week.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
ALBANY GREAT DANES
Albany (11-1, 4-0 America East) had its school-record 11-game win streak halted in a 17-13 loss to No. 16 Syracuse on April 20 before 5,384 fans at the Carrier Dome... The Orange, who have won all five meetings in this series, kept their NCAA at-large bid hopes alive when freshman Max Bartig broke a 13-13 deadlock with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter... Mike Leveille, who had five goals and two assists, fueled a three-goal fourth quarter to cement the win... UAlbany was held scoreless in the final stanza, the first scoreless period this season since the opener’s third quarter at Johns Hopkins... Frank Resetarits (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg) tied a season-high with five goals and had one assist against Syracuse... Resetarits, who extended his consecutive point streak to 43 straight games, scored three straight times in the third period to give his team a 12-11 lead... Resetarits, who has 35 goals and 18 assists, ranks among the national leaders in scoring at 4.42 points per game... Resetarits has netted five or more goals on six occasions as a collegian... Merrick Thomson (Stoney Creek, Ontario/Albany Academy) tallied three goals and one assist, all in the opening half... Thomson needs three points to move into second place on the school’s career scoring list... The senior attacker has 216 points (165 goals, 51 assists)... Jordan Levine (Bethpage, N.Y./Bethpage) equaled a season-best with four points (3 goals, 1 assist) vs. Syracuse... Levine, who added seven ground balls, has scored multiple goals against six opponents in 2007... UAlbany and Syracuse combined for 30 goals, the sixth time in the program’s Division I era that two teams have scored 30-plus in a game... Sophomore goalkeeper Dan McKeon (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee) relieved starter Brett Queener (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan Academy) in the second quarter and made a career-high 11 saves... Resetarits, Levine, Thomson and Queener are among a list of 17 nominees for The Tewaaraton Trophy, which annually recognizes the top male collegiate lacrosse player in the United States.
BINGHAMTON BEARCATS
Binghamton (3-8, 2-2 America East) ends its regular season on Saturday against Albany. It will mark just the fourth time that the Bearcats have been at home all season ... freshman attack Jeff Rurey (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) had a career-high three points against Stony Brook on Saturday. He tied a career high with two goals and added an assist. He now has seven goals and an assist for the season ... senior attack Rob Williams (Fulton, N.Y./Fulton) netted a season-high four goals against the Seawolves. It tied his career high and also marked his fifth career hat trick.
HARTFORD HAWKS
Hartford (2-11, 1-3 America East) dropped its only game last week, a 14-8 decision at Brown University. Freshman Rob Steffens (Rochester, N.H./Spaulding) and junior Brian Tilley (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y./St. Anthony's) each scored a pair of goals to pace the Hawks... Sophomore Daniel Clough (Piedmont, Calif./Dematha) leads the team in scoring with seven goals and a team-high 10 assists for 17 points... Tilley leads the team in goals with 11 and has one assist for 12 total points... Hartford will play its final two regular season games this week, beginning with its home finale against Sacred Heart on Wednesday, April 25 at 6 p.m. The Hawks will then travel to Vermont for their final conference game of the season. The Hawks can earn the final berth in the upcoming America East Championship with a win over the Catamounts and a Stony Brook loss to UMBC.
UMBC RETRIEVERS
UMBC (8-4, 3-1 America East) scored a season-high 20 goals and clinched a spot in the America East Conference Tournament with a convincing 20-11 win over Vermont before 1,477 fans on the Retrievers’ “Senior Day”... the Retrievers have now won four straight games... Senior attackmen Drew Westervelt (Bel Air, Md./John Carroll) and Andy Gallagher (Rockville, Md./DeMatha) had huge games for the Retrievers... Westervelt tied his career high with nine points on three goals and six assists, while Gallagher set a new career mark with eight points, scoring five goals and adding three helpers... Westervelt moved one point past his former teammate Brendan Mundorf and into fifth place on UMBC’s all-time scoring list... He became the 11^th player in school history to surpass the 100-goal plateau (101) and now has 186 career points... Westervelt has set a personal high with 51 points and becomes the 12^th Retriever to score 50 or more points in a season at the Division I level... After an early 1-1 tie, the Retrievers ran off nine straight goals to take a 10-1 advantage at he 5:18 mark of the second quarter... UMBC freshman standout attackman Cayle Ratcliffe (Victoria, B.C./Western Reserve (Ohio)) scored a first period hat trick and Westervelt had two goals and four assists in the nine-goal run... The Retrievers outscored Vermont, 5-1 in the third quarter to put the game away. Gallagher scored three times, including a pair of extra-man goals... The 31 goals scored by two teams are the most in a UMBC game since a 17-15 Retriever win over Towson in 2000... UMBC has competed in the America East Tournament in all four years of league membership and improved to 4-0 all-time vs. the Catamounts... Ratcliffe scored three times for UMBC and leads the Retrievers with 28 goals... junior midfielder Terry Kimener (Oakton, Va./Oakton) added two goals and two assists and seniors P.J. Kimener (Oakton,Va./Oakton/CCBC-Catonsville) and Josh Porcell (Gansevoort, N.Y./Saratoga Springs/CCBC-Essex) also hit the nets in the final home appearances... The Retrievers conclude the regular season Saturday at Stony Brook.
STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES
Stony Brook's (7-3, 2-2 America East) Bo Tripodi (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) and Sean Chamberlain (Holbrook, N.Y./Indian Hill) combined for seven goals as the Stony Brook men's lacrosse team topped Binghamton, 11-10, on Saturday evening at LaValle Stadium. Binghamton responded by netting a goal late in the first half when Rob Williams scored from a bounce pass from teammate Chris Mulheron as the Seawolves led 5-2 heading into the locker room. The Seawolves came out of the break with new life and seemed to gain control of the game with a quick 3-0 run. Owen Adams (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) tallied his second goal of the game, Chamberlain scored just 14 second later from a dish from Jimmy Astea (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y./Comsewogue) and Tripodi capped the 3-0 run with a goal from Tom Izzo (Commack, N.Y./Commack) as the Seawolves led 8-2 with 10:51 left in the third quarter. Behind a goal from Ryan Maehr (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem) and one from Chamberlain with 7:52 remaining in the contest, the Seawolves led 11-7. Binghamton added a late goal as Stony Brook held on for the 11-8 win. Tripodi and Chamberlain each tallied five points as Tripodi scored four goals with an assist and Chamberlain scored three with two assists. Adams scored a pair of goals and Bobby Trenkle (Commack, N.Y./Commack) added two assists in the win. Brendan Callahan Hanover, Md./Gonzaga) knotched his seventh win of the season between the pipes, tallying 15 saves on the night.
VERMONT CATAMOUNTS
Vermont (3-10, 0-4 America East) lost at No. 13 UMBC on Saturday 20-11... The Retrievers led 10-1 midway through the first half and never looked back... The loss was the eighth straight for the Catamounts... Senior Sean Layton (Wilmington, Mass./Malden Catholic) recorded three goals to increase his career total to 82... Senior Pete Hein (Greenwood Village, Colo./Cherry Creek) scored two goals to increase his season total to a team-high 21... Hein ranks sixth in goals scored among America East players this season... Junior Shay Cunningham (Southborough, Mass./Southborough) and junior Andrew Pierson (Havre de Grace, Md./St. Paul’s) both scored two goals in the loss to the Retrievers... Senior Adam Kornuth (Denver, Colo/East) notched one assist and he has at least one assist in eight of the last nine games... He has a team best 13 assists on the season... Senior goalie Darryl Swarts (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) has 179 saves on the year and is averaging 13.76 saves per game to lead America East... The Catamounts are now 0-5 against ranked opponents this season after facing just two ranked teams last year... The Catamounts return home this Saturday (April 28) for an 11am start against Hartford on senior day... The UVM Athletic Department will be sponsoring a “Fan Appreciation Day” on Saturday... Three Vermont teams will be in action at the Post Field Complex, starting with the men’s lacrosse team’s contest versus Hartford at Moulton Winder Field... The UVM softball team will also be in action hosting Binghamton in a doubleheader at 12 p.m. and the women’s lacrosse team will host Stony Brook to close out the afternoon at 2 p.m.