Baltimore, Md. - Sophomore attackman Matt Latham (Elderburg, Md.) scored a career high four goals as 13th-ranked UMBC (5-3, 1-0 America East) outlasted Stony Brook (4-4, 0-1), 14-12 in the conference opener for both teams.

The Retrievers have won four straight and five of their last six games. They have also won nine consecutive games and 14 of the last 15 at UMBC Stadium. The 14 goals scored represented a season-high for UMBC which has won those four straight games by a total of six goals.

UMBC trailed, 9-8 three minutes into the third quarter, but outscored the Seawolves 6-0 over the next 18 minutes to take a commanding 14-9 advantage with 7:24 remaining. Sophomore attackman Chris Jones (Martinsville, N.J.) tied the score at 9-9 on a Kyle Wimer (Lancaster, Pa.) feed with 11:16 to play in the third quarter and sophomore midfielder Maxx Davis (Baltimore, Md.) gave the hosts the lead for good on an unassisted tally just 53 seconds later.

Retriever junior attackman Ryan Smith (Fallston, Md.) then posted his team-high 15th and 16th goals of the season to end the third quarter and open the fourth. After freshman attackman Dom Scalzo (Webster, N.Y.) scored UMBC's lone extra-man goal of the game with 9:27 remaining, Latham capped the scoring run by converting Smith feed on the edge of the crease with 7:24 to play.

Stony Brook, which entered the game averaging more than 13 goals per game, got back-to-back goals in short order from senior attackman Bo Tripodi to cut the deficit to 14-11 with 6:49 to play. But UMBC held firm until freshman attackman Jordan McBride scored an extra-man goal with 1:02 to play. The Seawolves did get another possession, but committed a turnover and then a penalty with 25.8 seconds to play and UMBC ran out the clock.

Smith, who scored three goals and added three assists at Ohio State a week ago, added three goals and two helpers against the Seawolves. Jones (2g, 1a), Wimer (1g, 2a) and Davis (1g, 2a) all scored three points for UMBC.

Tripodi led all goal scorers with five for the visitors, while senior midfielder Rhys Duch led all scorers with seven points (3g, 4a).

UMBC outshot Stony Brook, 42-36 and Retriever junior netminder Jeremy Blevins (Cockeysville, Md.) made 11 saves in the contest. Stony Brook freshman Alex Kajencki had 10 saves for his side.

The Retrievers face local rival Towson at Unitas Stadium on Tuesday before traveling to Binghamton to face the Bearcats in an America East match on Saturday.

Notes: UMBC is now 10-2 in games decided by three goals or less since the beginning of the 2007 season… The Retrievers are now 19-4 all-time in America East play and are 188-188 in 27 years-plus of Division I competition… Latham also led the team with six ground balls in the game.

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Baltimore, Md. (Mar. 29, 2008) – Senior Bo Tripodi (Hauppauge, N.Y.) scored a season-high five goals, but it was not enough to overcome six straight UMBC scores over the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters as the #13 Retrievers came up with a 14-12 men's lacrosse win over Stony Brook. It was the first America East game of the season for both teams. Senior Rhys Duch (Victoria, British Columbia) led the Seawolves with seven points on three goals and four assists.

"The bottom line is we are giving up way too many goals," said Stony Brook head coach Rick Sowell. "We have to find a way to keep the score down, it is putting too much pressure on our offense. It is tough to be successful giving up as many goals as we have."

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2008-03-30