TOWSON, Md. – Senior midfielder Joe O'Rourke scored two goals in the first half as the Tigers (3-0-0) jumped out to a 4-1 lead en route to their third straight win, a 5-3 non-conference victory over UMBC (2-1-0) in the home opener at the Towson Center Soccer Complex on Wednesday afternoon.

The win allowed the Tigers to start the season with a 3-0 record for the first time since 1998.

“I think we are becoming a team that is very generous offensively and playing as a complete team,” Towson Coach Frank Olszewski said. “UMBC is a team that is geared towards scoring goals. They are a team that has a lot of offensive weapons and I am proud of how our guys responded to their offensive pressure.”

The Tigers took a quick 1-0 lead in the 11th minute when freshman forward Kay Banjo scored his second goal of the season on a breakaway from midfield.

Less than nine minutes later, O'Rourke upped the Towson advantage to 2-0 when he scored on a shot from a sharp angle along the goal line after receiving a pass from junior defender Josh Spivey.

With 11:44 remaining in the first half, the Retrievers trimmed the deficit to 2-1 when senior forward Levi Houapeu scored his third goal of the season on a shot from seven yards away following a long throw-in from junior defender Vince Savarese and a flick pass by freshman forward Pete Caringi.

But, O'Rourke answered just over two minutes later by scoring his second goal of the game. He took passes from junior forward Liam Maloney and senior midfielder Marco Mangione and scored from inside the penalty area past sophomore goalkeeper Phil Saunders.

Less than 14 minutes into the second half, the Tigers extended their lead to 4-1 when Maloney scored his first goal of the season by gathering a loose ball and firing a shot to the near side.

Trailing by three goals, the Retrievers scored twice in a three-minute span to narrow the margin to 4-3. With 13:24 remaining in regulation, junior midfielder Andrew Bulls scored off a rebound of a shot from sophomore midfielder Milo Kapor.

Then, the Retrievers received a penalty kick in the 80th minute when sophomore midfielder Mark Lubetkin was tackled inside the penalty area by Spivey. Houapeu converted the penalty kick past junior goalkeeper John Steele for his second goal of the game, cutting the lead to 4-3.

But, the Tigers secured the victory with 2:04 remaining when sophomore midfielder Phil Martinelli scored the first goal of his college career on a shot to the far side after passes from Mangione and Maloney.

While O'Rourke led the Tigers with two goals, Maloney added a goal and two assists. Mangione contributed a pair of assists for the Tigers, who defeated the Retrievers for the second time in the last three years.

Steele made a season-high seven saves for the Tigers, who were outshot by a 15-11 margin.

Houapeu scored two goals for the Retrievers, who lost for the first time this season. Saunders made one save in 68 minutes before being relieved by junior Miguel Calderon. Calderon did not make a save while allowing one goal.

The Tigers, who started a five-game homestand against UMBC, will host Lehigh University on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, the Retrievers will travel to Navy on Saturday night.

College Men's Soccer: Towson University 5, UMBC 3
UMBC (2-1-0)  1-2 / 3
Towson (3-0-0)  3-2 / 5

Goals: UMBC – Levi Houapeu 2 (33:16, 79:21 – pk), Andrew Bulls 1 (76:36); TOW – Joe O'Rourke 2 (18:56, 35:46), Kay Banjo (10:54), Liam Maloney 1 (58:35), Phil Martinelli 1 (87:56). Assists: UMBC – Vince Savarese 1, Pete Caringi 1, Milo Kapor 1; TOW – Liam Maloney 2, Marco Mangione 2, Josh Spivey 1. Saves: UMBC – Phil Saunders 1 (67:54, 4 goals allowed), Miguel Calderon 0 (22:06, 1 goals allowed); TOW – John Steele 7 (90:00, 3 goals allowed). Shots: UMBC – 15; TOW – 11. Corner Kicks: UMBC – 3; TOW – 3. Attendance: 592.

TIGER TIDBITS: During the 1998 season, the Tigers defeated Catholic, Oneonta and Robert Morris to begin the year … They finished the 1998 season as the America East Conference regular season champions … Towson now leads the all-time series with UMBC by a 14-12-5 margin … However, the teams have split the last four meetings … The Retrievers suffered their first loss in the month of September since the 2008 season ... Ironically, their last September loss came against the Tigers at Towson on September 21, 2008 ... Over the last three years, UMBC has a 14-2-1 record in September ... The Tigers have had seven different players account for their 10 goals in the first three games … Banjo scored a goal for the second straight game … He also had the game-winner in the Tigers' 3-2 win over Saint Joseph's on Sunday night.