Box Score VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
BALTIMORE – UMBC senior forward Kay Banjo (Upper
Marlboro, Md./Largo/Towson U.) broke a 1-1 tie with a brilliant
strike in the 75', leading the Retrievers to a 2-1 win over
visiting UMass Lowell in the America East opener for both
teams.
UMBC has now won two straight to improve to 5-4-2 overall, while
UML slips to 3-8-0.
On the game-winner, junior Michael Scott
(Fife, Scotland) made a crafty move on the left side, avoiding a
River Hawk defender and sliding a pass to Banjo in the middle of
the field. Banjo took two strides to clear his defender and
struck a shot from 16 yards out which beat UML freshman goalkeeper
Austin Kroll and tucked into the right side of the net.
For Banjo, it was his team-leading fifth goal of the season, his
second-game winning score and the 20th goal of his collegiate
career.
The River Hawks had a pair of good chances in a final 14
minutes, but a Federico Ferre header went wide in the 76' and
Wuilito Fernandes' free kick from 23 yards went wide left in the
87'.
The game was scoreless at the half, but the teams traded goals
in a span of 160 seconds. Banjo was taken down in the box in the
61' and UMBC senior midfielder Mamadou
Kansaye (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) converted the penalty kick.
But UML would equalize as the visitors were awarded a penalty kick
in the 64'. UMBC sophomore goalkeeper Billy Heavner
(Landisville, Pa.) made the initial save of Carlos Ruiz attempt,
but Ruiz pounced on the rebound and converted to knot the
score.
UMBC is now unbeaten in its last 13 America East contests
(11-0-2) and is 6-3-3 in 12 America East opening games.
The Retrievers outshot the River Hawks, 14-11, for the game,
after only a 4-3 margin in the first 45 minutes. UMBC junior
midfielder Malcolm Harris
(Damascus, Md./McDonogh) recorded half of UMBC's shots, hitting the
crossbar in the 9' and just missing the upper right corner in the
68'.
Heavner improved to 2-0-0 with a six-save effort, while Kroll
recorded four saves for the visitors.
UMBC has the week off before hosting Hartford on Saturday, Oct.
11. It will be an afternoon affair (2:30 p.m.) as part of
Homecoming, '14.
