Baltimore, MD - Sophomore fullback Marcus Gross (Barnstaple, England) scored the game's lone goal midway through the first half and UMBC (7-1-5, 3-0-3) for a 1-0 win over visiting Stony Brook (2-10-1, 0-4-0) in an America East Conference contest played in blustery conditions at UMBC Soccer Stadium.
The Retrievers had a strong wind at their backs in the first half and would outshoot the Seawolves, 11-1, in the first 45 minutes. They capitalized on one chance, when Gross headed in Mike Joseph’s direct kick past USB netminder Dan Ferrin and under the crossbar from seven yards out at the 19:04 mark.
The Seawolves had the wind and a strong sun in goalkeeper Andy Marchica's eyes in the second half , but could not break through. Freshman forward Carlo Santi and senior midfielder Anthony Barberio put two shots apiece on goal, but none were particularly dangerous.
Marchica made four saves to earn his sixth shutout of the year and third in his last four outings. Ferrin had five stops for Stony Brook.
The 1-0 setback was Stony Brook's third straight in league play by that score. The victory was UMBC's first at home since August 29 - they had played to four consecutive draws since the opening game of the season. UMBC is now unbeaten in its last six outings, all in league play. Retriever forward Derek McElligott, who entered the game with 13 goals in 12 games, had his five-game goal scoring streak stopped.
