Baltimore, MD - UMBC (4-0-1) struck for two goals in the first 12 minutes of play and went on to blank George Washington (1-4-1), 3-0, in a non-conference game at UMBC Soccer Stadium.
The Retrievers are now unbeaten at home (10-0-5) in their last 15 regular season home games dating back to early in the 2002 season.
Senior forward Derek McElligott (Baltimore, Md./Greater Grace) got the game winner just 6:34 into the contest. He took a short pass from freshman forward Matt Watson (Redditch, England/Bridley Moor) and hit a 17-yard shot into the upper right hand corner of the net. At the 11:52 mark, UMBC doubled the advantage as junior midfielder Powell Cucchiella (Baltimore, Md./Eastern Tech) ran onto a short cross by McElligott and knocked in a shot from six yards out.
The Retrievers added an insurance goal at the 72:11 mark, when Watson scored his first collegiate goal, taking a lead pass from Cucchiella and knocking a shot off Colonial netminder Greg Yahr and into the cage from nine yards out.
George Washington junior Andre Chapman managed five shots, but UMBC junior netminder Andy Marchica made a pair of solid saves on two of them, and recorded the shutout with five total saves.
McElligott's 3-point day gives him 98 points (44 goals, 10 assists) in his career, just two shy of the century mark. Only two other players in school history (Ray Ford, 124; Giuliano Celenza 100) have managed to score 100 points.
