No. 6 Retrievers Throttle Towson, 14-4
from press releases
BALTIMORE, Md. -Senior midfielder Peet Poillon
(Cranberry Township, Pa.) tied a career-best with four goals and
the Retriever defense permitted a season-low four goals as
sixth-ranked UMBC (7-2) defeated Towson (4-5), 14-4, in the 40th
meeting between two schools.
Freshman attackman Rob Grimm (Black River, N.Y.) led all scorers
with a season-best two goals and three assists and senior
midfielder Alex Hopmann (Annapolis, Md.) added three goals and one
helper as UMBC defeated their cross-town rivals for the third
consecutive time.
The Retrievers extended their season-high winning streak to four
straight, while the Tigers saw their three-game winning streak come
to an end. UMBC's 7-2 record is the best since the same start
to the 1997 campaign.
The Retrievers never trailed, leading 2-1 after one quarter, and
3-2 early in the second stanza, when the hosts outscored Towson,
4-1, in the final 7:41 of the period. Grimm and Poillon scored at
7:41 and 4:42 respectively and after Towson's Sean McGuire
interrupted the run at the 2:44 mark, UMBC appeared to take the
momentum heading into halftime. Junior midfielder Kyle Wimer
(Lancaster, Pa.) and Poillon scored 27 seconds apart at the
1:45 and 1:17 marks to give UMBC a 7-3 halftime lead.
But the Retrievers committed three fouls on Towson's final
possession of the half and it took the Tigers just 18 seconds to
take advantage of the six-on-three as Brock Armour netted an
unassisted tally. However, it would be TU's final goal of the night
as senior netminder Jeremy Blevins (Cockeysville, Md./Calvert Hall)
and the defense shut the door the rest of the way.
UMBC built the lead to 12-4 after three quarters as five different
players scored. Grimm notched assists on three consecutive second
half goals, capped by a feed to Hopmann, who rifled in his
team-high 23rd goal of the season on the extra-man with 5:17
remaining.
Blevins, who made 16 saves and allowed only six goals in last
season's 9-6 win at Towson, stopped 11 shots and allowed all four
Tiger goals in 58:02 in tonight's contest.
McGuire led Towson with a pair of goals, while Armour had a goal
and a helper. TU netminder Rob Wheeler made eight saves, allowing
12 goals through three quarters. The Retrievers outshot the Tigers,
35-32, and stalemated the visitors in face-offs, taking 11 of
21.
Wimer (one goal, two assists), and junior attackman Chris Jones
(Martinsville, N.J.) (one goal, one assist) were other
multiple-point producers for UMBC, while junior defense midfielder
Jordan Pierce (Glen Burnie, Md./Mount St. Joseph) scored his first
career goal.
Notes: The 10-goal margin of victory by UMBC is just the
third-such in the all-time series and was one shy of the 11-goal
margin in the 20-9 Retriever victory in 1999... Towson leads the
series, 26-14, but UMBC is 7-6 vs. the Tigers since 1997... The
four goals allowed by UMBC is the fewest since a 6-3 win over
Binghamton in late April of 2006... The 14 goals allowed by Towson
is a season high... In four games vs. Towson, Blevins (3-1) made 48
saves and allowed 27 goals, a save percentage of .640... The
Retrievers face four America East Conference opponents to close the
regular season, beginning with Saturday's home date with
Binghamton.
