ANNAPOLIS, Md. – In a rivalry matchup that saw near-constant rainfall, the Navy men's soccer team (2-2-4) used sophomore Jorge Mayorga's first collegiate tally to pull out a 1-0 victory over in-state foe UMBC (4-2-1) in non-conference action Tuesday night at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
 
After a tight first-half defensive battle through sheets of wind-blown rain, Navy got on the board in the opening minutes of an action-packed second half when Mayorga booted home a loose ball at 48', while the Midshipmen held off the Retrievers' response to preserve senior goalkeeper Robert Eaton's six-save shutout.
 
Some early offsides calls negated UMBC's initial attack, as Navy notched the first true chance of the evening on Duncan Sullivan's shot at 8' that forced a stop from Emigdio Tormo Lopez and another Sullivan shot at 37' sailed just over the crossbar, while Eaton picked up his only save of the half by collecting Spencer Hanks' kick in the 40th minute.
 
With the Mids controlling possession out of halftime, freshman Nick Gallucci received a strong cross into the box at 48' but just nicked the connection, with Jorge Mayorga picking up the loose ball and driving up a few yards before launching a shot into the top-left corner outside of Tormo Lopez's reach.
 
Putting a pair of chances high and then seeing Brady Geho's shot blocked at 56', the Retrievers finally put a ball on-target at 58' but Eaton dove to stop Shawn Shvartshtein, with the Navy netminder then denying back-to-back chances from Geho and Andres Javitt at 60' to keep the Mids in front.
 
A hard shot from senior A.J. Schuetz in the 64th minute was right at Tormo Lopez, while sophomore Keane Brown sent a shot just over the cage at 70' and Sullivan had an off-target chance at 75' before Eaton had to scoop up Kofi Amoah's 77th-minute shot from distance and stonewall Matteo Samori at 79'. UMBC had one last chance at 87' when Yigit Kilic lined up for a free kick following a Navy yellow card, but the attempt sailed over the net and Navy was able to burn the final four minutes of clock.
 
Eaton's six saves earned him his second clean sheet of the season, while Tormo Lopez ended the night with two saves.
 
Head Coach Tim O'Donohue Comments
"I'm really happy for our players to get the result tonight, battling a tough team and the elements. They have been playing well and been on the wrong side of some good games recently. UMBC is also the best team we have played so far this season, so it was great to get a quality win against an excellent opponent. We now turn our attention to another tough opponent Saturday on the road."
 
Match Notes
• Navy is now 20-7-7 in the all-time series with UMBC, also improving to 12-3-2 at home all-time against the Retrievers.
• Tuesday marked the Mids' first win over UMBC since Oct. 18, 2016.
• Mayorga is the fifth different goal-scorer for Navy this season.
 
Up Next
Navy heads north on Saturday afternoon to resume Patriot League play, traveling to Boston University for a 1 p.m. showdown.