Stony Brook, N.Y. – UMBC’s Malcolm Harris (Damascus, Md./McDonogh) and Marquez Fernandez (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) each scored their first goals of the season as the Retrievers blanked host Stony Brook, 2-0, to capture their second consecutive America East regular season title.

The Retrievers finished the regular season with a 10-5-3 record and their 6-0-1 America East mark is the program’s best in 12 years of league competition.  UMBC, which has won four consecutive matches, receives a first-round bye and will host a semifinal match in the America East Tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

Stony Brook, which has clinched a spot in the six-team tournament, slipped to 4-13-1, 2-5-0.

UMBC is now unbeaten in its last 19 America East regular season contests (16-0-3) and is unbeaten versus its last 23 league foes (include playoffs), which is the longest such streak in America East history.  

Both teams came out attacking, as red-shirt sophomore goalkeeper Billy Heavner (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) was forced to make a diving save on Stony Brook’s Keith McKenna’s  effort in the 8’. Harris countered for UMBC with a hard shot, but SBU netminder Tom McMahon makes the stop less than two minutes later.

The Retrievers got on the board in the 31st minute, as Harris, a junior midfielder, got free on left side, received a cross from senior midfielder Stephen Ho (North Potomac, Md./Wootton) and chipped it over McMahon and into the net from 12 yards out.

Despite holding the lead, UMBC continued to press the attack in the second half and got an insurance goal in the 68th minute. Fernandez, a senior defender, cut through the center of the box to head in Mamadou Kansaye’s (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) corner kick back inside the near right post .

UMBC nearly made the score 3-0, but McMahon made a sprawling save on Kansaye’s free kick just outside box in the 73rd minute.

The Retrievers only allowed three second half shots and outshot the Seawolves, 11-8. Heavner made five saves, recorded his third shutout of the season and improved to 7-1-1 on the season.

Notes: UMBC has now posted four consecutive shutout victories over Stony Brook and lead the series, 10-6-0.

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