UMBC’s moderate resurgence last season was powered by the development of an attack built around then-junior Rob Grimm (17 goals and 18 assists) and sophomores Scott Jones (23, 10) and Joe Lustgarten (5, 8).

With that trio back for another year and several midfielders dealing with injuries in the preseason, the team could rely on the attack again, coach Don Zimmerman said.

“Our attack is healthy and seems to be starting to gel nicely,” Zimmerman said. “And because some of our top returning middies haven’t been able to practice, some of the younger guys have gotten a significant amount of playing time and practice time, which has benefitted them as well. So it’s like anything else in that you try to turn a negative into a positive, and I think through the first two weeks of practice, a lot of guys are getting valuable practice time and experience.”

One note of concern is how the team will get the ball to the attack. The season-ending injuries to junior Joseph Impallaria (torn left and right rotator cuffs) sapped the Retrievers of their only faceoff specialist who won more draws than he lost in 2011 (50-of-99 for 50.5 percent).

Zimmerman expressed confidence in a rotation that includes sophomore Phil Poe (55-of-122 for 45.1 percent last year) and junior Neill Lewnes (2-of-12 for 14.3 percent).

“Phil Poe took a majority of the face-offs on Saturday [in a scrimmage against Limestone], and I thought he did a good job,” Zimmerman said. “And then Neill Lewnes, who plays a defensive midfield position for us and is one of our most versatile players in the midfield, is also going to be in a faceoff role as well, which makes him even more diverse as far as what he can bring to the table.”