Another UMBC Underdog Has Knocked Off The Top-Ranked Team In Its Sport

Those frisky University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers have done it again: just three weeks after their men’s basketball team became the first 16th seed to ever knock off a top seed in the NCAA tournament, their men’s lacrosse team dealt a wildly improbable upset loss to Albany, the top-ranked men’s team in the nation for six consecutive weeks:

UMBC’s basketball team finished its season winning 14 of 17 games, and all of its last five, prior to their big upset of Virginia. What I’m saying is, those Retrievers were pretty good, even if only by the standards of a 16-seed. These lacrosse Retrievers can say no such thing for themselves—they entered the Friday game 2-7 on the season, and on a four-game losing streak. Per the NCAA:

But UMBC (3-7, 1-2 America East), which snapped a four-game slide scored a season-high 11 goals and freshman netminder Tommy Lingner (Fort Salonga, N.Y.) backstopped a stout defense which held the Great Danes to four goals below their previous season-low.

Lingner made a season-high 16 saves, including seven in the fourth quarter.

“[Albany] is a tremendous team, they have a great coaching staff and great players,” said head coach Ryan Moran. “To be able to go in there and execute our game plan, play hard and do the things we needed to do to win, I’m just really proud of this program and proud of the players in that locker room.”

The victory was the program’s second over a No. 1-ranked team. The 1998 squad defeated No. 1 Maryland, 12-8, in the regular season finale and was propelled into its first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament.

Beware, all top-ranked teams in all 17 of UMBC’s varsity sports. The Retrievers are out there, lurking, ready to strike.