A six-game win streak at Virtue Field came to an end for the men’s soccer team as they lost 2-1 to the University of Maryland Baltimore County Retrievers in their first home game since a two-week road trip.

The match also held the stakes of deciding first place in the America East Conference, as UVM and UMBC were tied in the standings prior to the match.

The Retrievers struck early in the match, as senior striker Alex Wroblewski put the ball in the net just two minutes in. The rest of the opening half became a defensive battle between both teams, with shots tallying 3-2 for UVM and UMBC, respectively.

The second half opened much like the first, as UMBC sophomore defender Lasse Kelp scored on a free kick just three minutes into the closing half. Each squad fought for possession throughout the half, draining the clock and limiting the chances UVM had to even the score.

Junior defender Adrian Schulze Solano put points on the board for UVM with ten minutes remaining, but UMBC’s defense remained steadfast as the buzzer signaled the end of the match.

UVM outshot UMBC 13-6 on the day as well as leading in corner kicks 9-0, but couldn’t put it all together for the win. The Catamounts look to improve their conference record on Friday Oct. 27 against the UAlbany Great Danes on Virtue Field.