Among the plethora of voices he hears on an almost daily basis, Ethan Robinson said the one that clearly resonates with the freshman long-stick midfielder for the UMBC men’s lacrosse team is that of senior Colin Kasner.
Robinson said Kasner, who had been the team’s top long-stick midfielder before getting sidelined for the past three games by the coronavirus, has been a consistent source of encouragement, reminding the rookie to be confident and make plays.
“It means he’s a really unselfish person,” Robinson said gratefully of Kasner’s counsel. “It really makes you feel good that he cares about a freshman that he wants to take under his wing and work with.”
The Randallstown resident and McDonogh graduate has stood out in Kasner’s absence. He was named the America East Conference Rookie of the Week after amassing four ground balls and three caused turnovers in a 13-10 win March 20. On Saturday, he finished with two ground balls, one caused turnover and one goal in transition in a 7-6 victory over Binghamton.
Robinson’s first career goal occurred when he scooped a loose ball that Bearcats junior midfielder Kevin Winkoff failed to corral and went coast-to-coast to give the Retrievers a 2-0 lead with 13:22 left in the first quarter.
“I saw no one coming to me,” Robinson said of his decision to shoot. “We talked all week about scoring in transition. No defenders flipped to me. So I just made the read and just let it go.”
One might think that coach Ryan Moran would have preferred Robinson to undergo some more seasoning under Kasner’s tutelage, but Moran said Robinson’s talent warranted playing time.
“Getting him on the field was the primary goal,” Moran said. “Colin is such a known entity, and we were steadily feeding Ethan game reps, and we would have been doing that throughout the year. He was just thrust into the position because of Colin, and he’s really been taking the opportunity and doing exceptionally well. I knew that he would do well, but I didn’t think he would do this well this early.”
Robinson said his nerves were high when he got his first extended stretch of playing time in a 13-12 four-overtime decision against Stony Brook on March 6. But he credited his teammates and coaches with trying to provide a level of comfort for him.
“They always influence their freshmen to make plays and to go out there and be confident,” he said. “So I’ve kind of been ready for this moment ever since.”
Greater comfort level for Mount St. Mary’s Oler
Jenna Oler’s first season with the Mount St. Mary’s women after transferring from George Washington did not unfold as planned as the coronavirus pandemic cut short her debut after just seven games. But now with 15 consecutive starts under her belt, the Columbia resident and Wilde Lake graduate said she has found her footing.
“Last year, I kind of felt like a freshman again, just trying to get to know all the girls and see how the defense worked,” said Oler, who chose the Mountaineers over Georgetown and St. Joseph’s because she knew current teammates Alayna Pagnotta (Glenelg) and Devon Filippone (River Hill). “After playing those seven games last year and coming into this year, I definitely felt more familiar and comfortable with the team.”
On Monday, Oler was named the Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week after totaling 17 saves while giving up 17 goals in a pair of wins against Wagner and Bryant. She ranks third in the league in goals-against average (9.00), fourth in save percentage (.473) and sixth in saves per game (8.7) for Mount St. Mary’s (6-2 overall and 5-0 in the conference).
Another first for Navy’s Rees
Not only did Spencer Rees make a personal-best 17 saves in the Navy men’s 13-10 victory over Bucknell on Sunday, but the senior goalkeeper also earned the first assist of his career when he crossed midfield and flung the ball to senior attackman Christian Daniel for a goal with 3:49 left in the third quarter.
Rees, a Baltimore resident and Boys’ Latin graduate, wasn’t thrilled with his dish (“Wasn’t the best of passes,” he quipped), but noted that he had never recorded an assist in club or high school lacrosse.
“I was pretty shocked,” said Rees, a first-year starter who was named on Monday the Patriot League’s Goalkeeper of the Week. “Coach [Joe Amplo] all week was saying that those opportunities would happen just through their 10-man ride. I saw Christian open and tried to get a good pass to him, and he just made a nice play and was able to get a goal.”
Notes
>> With seven goals in the Mount St. Mary’s women’s 21-11 dismantling of Bryant on Saturday, senior attacker Jordan Butler, a Bel Air resident and John Carroll graduate, scored the most goals in a game since former midfielder/attacker Ashley Johnson finished with seven in a 15-14 double overtime win at George Washington on March 10, 2010, and was one shy of the program’s single-game record.
>> With nine saves in No. 6 Virginia’s 12-11 win at No. 9 Notre Dame on Saturday, senior goalkeeper Alex Rode, a Timonium resident and St. Paul’s graduate, has made 476 stops in his career to take sole possession of eighth place in program history. Peter Sheehan (1985-88) is seventh with 491 saves.
>> The Washington College women’s 17-0 thrashing of McDaniel on Saturday marked the program’s first shutout since April 15, 2017, when that squad blanked Bryn Mawr, 18-0.
>> After picking up four ground balls, causing three turnovers, and assisting on a goal in the Washington College men’s 13-4 rout at McDaniel on Saturday, junior defenseman Kyle Gittelman was named the Centennial Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week.