BALTIMORE – UMBC held St. Bonaventure off the scoreboard for the entirety of the second half until the final 30 seconds, locking down the Bonnies offense in a 13-4 final Wednesday night at UMBC Stadium.
It was just a 7-3 margin at halftime, but the Retrievers continued to slowly pull away in the second half, posting six goals between the third and fourth quarters while holding the Bonnies off the scoreboard.
By the time Mark Belles finally broke the drought with 30 seconds showing on the game clock, the Retrievers had the game well in hand.
Kyle Pepper scored two goals and had a team-best three points for the Bonnies on the night.
UMBC struck early, opening the scoring just over two minutes in on a strike from Mateo Brown, followed two minutes later by another goal from Allen Hockenberry for a 2-0 lead.
Pepper got the Bonnies on the board and cut the deficit in half, but UMBC would score twice more before Austin Blumbergs converted his first goal of the year early in the second.
The Retrievers would take a 7-3 lead to intermission despite two first half goals from Pepper and several outstanding saves from Cristofero Cucciuffo who kept the Bonnies in the game with his work in net.
UMBC (3-0) gained control with two early goals from Hockenberry and Brown in the third period for a six-goal edge.
That would set the tone for the second half as the Retrievers helped force 21 Bonaventure turnovers and the UMBC ride caused the Bonnies to be successful in just 12 of 18 clear attempts. UMBC also won 12 of 21 faceoffs on the night.
Cucciuffo did his part, making 18 saves for the Bonnies as he was peppered with 47 UMBC shots.
Brown (four goals) and Hockenberry (three goals, two assists) combined for nine points to power the UMBC attack.
The Bonnies (1-4) are off for 10 days, next hosting Cleveland State Saturday, March 11 at the Marra Athletics Complex. Faceoff is slated for 1 p.m.
-----
For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on Twitter @GoBonnies and get men's lacrosse updates @BonniesMLAX. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @GoBonnies.
