The 13th attempt did not prove lucky for the UMBC lacrosse team yesterday.

Since 1986, the Retrievers have suffered one defeat after another -- most of them close -- to Penn State, and their latest meeting was no different at UMBC Stadium.

By virtually mirroring last season's 6-0 finishing kick, the Nittany Lions scored the final five goals to defeat UMBC, 11-9, for their 13th consecutive victory in the lopsided series.

Not that the No. 9 Retrievers (3-3) didn't have their chances down the stretch. They failed to even shoot with a two-man advantage for 30 seconds because of two Penn State penalties and also failed with the ensuing man edge.

"We've got talented players and we ended up turning over the ball without even getting a shot in that situation," said upset UMBC coach Don Zimmerman. "We had our backs against the wall with an opportunity to come back and turn it around and couldn't get it done. We're not playing tough under pressure."

Penn State (4-1) answered by putting away the decision on its only extra-man situation of the game with Todd Kaiser converting a pass from Chris Schiller at 12: 42 of the final quarter.

"He's not known for his shooting, but he got a layup," said Nittany Lions coach Glenn Thiel.

The loss was the third in a row for the Retrievers, who last year squandered an 11-8 lead at Penn State and lost, 14-11.

"We have some seniors who could have stepped up and made a difference," Zimmerman said. "It didn't happen. Until that senior class is on the same page, we're not going to be a very good ball club."

The Retrievers had a 9-6 edge at 5: 25 of the third period, but 57 seconds into the fourth quarter, Penn State had pulled even on John Chescavage's third goal.

Nearly eight minutes elapsed before the game's leading scorer, Chris Schiller, beat David Ford to shove the Nittany Lions ahead, 10-9, and set the stage for UMBC's futile attempts to score with its personnel edge.

Penn State wore down the Retrievers with its physical advantage. "We've got three full lines and three faceoff guys so we stay pretty fresh," said Thiel. "We're in pretty good shape with depth."

It was the first road victory of the season for Penn State, which overcame a slow start to finish with a 16-8 domination of faceoffs, a team strong point all year.

"We pressured them a little more down the stretch and were really able to do about what we wanted," said Thiel. "The defense played super and the goalie saw the ball a lot better in the second half. And we got just enough offense."

Penn State 1 5 2 3 -- 11

UMBC 4 2 3 0 -- 9

Goals: PS--Schiller 3, Chescavage 3, Mayerhofer 2, Kaiser, Holmes, Wood; UMBC--Turner 3, Hahn, Ratcliffe, Hicks, Quenzer, Marohl, Hard. Assists: PS--Schiller 2, Huss, Mayerhofer, Washo, Wood; UMBC--Marohl 2, Hahn, Cornes, Turner. Saves: PS--Keenan 9; UMBC--Hampson 9.

Pub Date: 3/28/99