The UMBC men's soccer squad (3-2-1) opens its 18th season of America East Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 18 when the Hartford Hawks visit Retriever Soccer Park. The opening kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. and the contest will be broadcast by the America East digital network.
Sophomore forward Taylor Calheira (Towson, Md./Concordia Prep) scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner four minutes into overtime, as the Retrievers defeated Mount St. Mary's, 2-1, in overtime in muggy conditions at Retriever Soccer Park on Tuesday, Sept. 14,
UMBC Men's Soccer will recognize and honor the 1991 team at halftime. The 91'ers, Pete Caringi Jr.'s first UMBC squad, won an East Coast Conference regular season title. They set records at that time for goals scored (64) and consecutive wins (7) and posted a 15-5-1 record.
DAWG BYTES
- Calheira's two-goal game was UMBC's second of the season. Ryan Becher (Hummelstown, Pa.) scored twice in the 4-3 loss at Maryland.
- Calheira and Becher are tied for first in America East with 11 shots on goal. Becher is second in goals scored per game, while Calheira is seventh.
- Conze now has four assists on the season and eight total points.
- UMBC is 2-0-1 in overtime this season.
- Becher now has ten career goals and 26 total points (10-6-26).
- Freshman goalkeeper Jailon Gillespie (Laurel, Del.) made his first career appearance and start at LIU on Saturday and posted his first win vs. Mount St. Mary's
- In the first three games of the season, UMBC rallied four times from a goal down to knot the score. The Retrievers have scored the game's first goal in the last three contests vs. Iona, LIU and Mount St. Mary's and are 2-1-0 in those games.
- Head Coach Pete Caringi, Jr., enters his 31st campaign at UMBC and now has a record of 305-192-77. At the start of the season, he was ranked 20th amongst active NCAA I coaches with the 302 victories and the most recent mentor to reach the 300-win level (Feb. 23, 2021 vs. GW) and 36th with a winning percentage of 59.9.
- Associate Head Coach Anthony Adams, '97, begins his 25th season, patrolling the sidelines with his former coach, while former Retriever All-American Pete Caringi III, enters his eighth.
A GLANCE AT THE HAWKS
- Junior Addrian Knights-Brown netted the game-winner in the 63rd minutes as the Hawks defeated Central Connecticut, 1-0, on Tuesday.
- It was Hartford's first win and first shutout of the season
- Knights-Browne leads the team with two goals on 11 shots
- Sophomore goalkeeper Rotem Fadida ranks first in the conference with 25 saves on the season
- Hartford returns 19 players from a team that went 3-3-1 in an abbreviated 2020-21 campaign, which was postponed from the usual fall slot and played in the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19
- Highlighting the returners are three America East All-Conference performers in senior back Nick Benjamin (First Team), Datner (Second Team) and Fadida (All-Rookie Team)
ALL-TIME SERIES
- The Retrievers and Hawks will be meeting for the 23rd time in the all-time series with UMBC holding an 11-7-4 lead.
- The last meeting, which took place in 2019, ended in a 110-minute scoreless draw in West Hartford.
- The Retrievers won the last match in Baltimore in 2018, prevailing 1-0 in overtime.
- UMBC is 8-3-1 vs. Hartford in home matches (Retriever Soccer Park/UMBC Stadium).
- With Hartford in Pod B and UMBC in Pod C, the Hawks and Retrievers did not face off this past spring.
UP NEXT
The Retrievers travel to Bethlehem, Pa. to take on Lehigh on Tuesday, Sept. 21. Game time is 7:00 p.m.
