Philadelphia, Pa.--UMBC sophomore forward Andrew Bulls (Millersville, Md./McDonogh) scored a pair of first half goals, leading the visiting Retrievers (9-0-0) to a 3-0 victory over La Salle (3-4-1) in the team's first road contest of the season.
Bulls, the nation's leading scorer entering play this week, netted his 11th and 12th goals of the season in the 22nd and 29th minutes and freshman Matt Knight (Kent, England) added an insurance goal in the 89th minute to extend UMBC's school-record winning streak to start a campaign. UMBC freshman goalkeeper Phil Saunders (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall) made five saves to record his fourth consecutive shutout and his fifth of the season. The Retrievers have not allowed a goal in the last 435 minutes.
Bulls' first goal was set up by junior forward Levi Houapeu (Germantown, Md./Watkins Mill), who recorded his seventh assist of the season. Houapeu raced 40 yards down the right side and sent a diagonal pass in the box to Bulls, who finished inside the near post.
Less than six minutes later, Bulls took advantage of a deflected clear by La Salle, as he pounced on the loose ball and scored from close range. The Retrievers carried the 2-0 lead into halftime and Saunders helped weather an Explorer barrage early in the second half with two early stops.
UMBC added an insurance goal with only 1:16 remaining. With La Salle pressing, sophomore defender Vince Savarese (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) advanced the ball to Knight, who beat Explorer netminder Kyle Quigley to the ball and chipped it into an unguarded goal from 35 yards away.
The Retrievers' 9-0-0 start is the best in the school history and the longest winning streak since 1999, when the NCAA-bound team won 13 straight contests.
Bulls now has 20 career goals in 26 games and his 12 goals is the most in a season since Derek McElligott tallied 15 in the 2003 campaign. The Retrievers open America East Conference play at Vermont on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Notes: UMBC snapped an 11-game road winless streak, which dated back to the 2007 season. The Retrievers last recorded four consecutive shutouts in the 2005 season. UMBC has outscored its opponents, 26-4, through nine games this season.
