BALTIMORE – The UMBC men's soccer squad (0-1-1) returns home for a pair of games over a three-day span over Labor Day weekend. The Retrievers will welcome La Salle (1-1-0) to Retriever Soccer Park on Friday, Sept. 3 with a 7:00 p.m. kick-off time on the slate. The contest will be broadcast on the America East digital network.  

UMBC opened the campaign with a 2-2 double-overtime draw versus Navy on Thurs., Aug. 26 and the Retrievers staged a furious late game rally, but fell short at No. 11 Maryland, 4-3 on Sunday, Aug. 29. Junior midfielder Ryan Becher (Hummelstown, Pa.) scored a pair of goals in a span of 3:15 down the stretch, but the comeback fell just shy.

Dawg Bytes

• 1,127 fans attended the season opener at Retriever Soccer Park six days before the start of fall semester classes getting underway.
• Ryan Becher scored career goals six and seven versus Maryland and matched his two-goal effort at GW on Sept. 17, 2019.
• Senior goalkeeper Quantrell Jones (Baltimore, Md./Kenwood) has now played 957 consecutive minutes in the Retriever nets.
• Sophomore midfielder William Forby (Vegle, Denmark) netted his first UMBC goal in the 19' at Maryland, equalizing the game at 1-1.
• Juniors Julian Conze (Telgte, Germany) and Justin John-Langba (Bowie, Md./Bowie) scored their first career goals in the 2-2 draw versus Navy.
• Head Coach Pete Caringi, Jr., enters his 31st campaign at UMBC and now has a record of 302-191-77. 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.

Series History vs. La Salle

• The Retrievers hold a 7-3-1 series lead over La Salle.  
• The 2021 contest will be the first since UMBC edged La Salle, 2-1, a in 2016 overtime affair held in Philadelphia. That snapped a three-game (0-2-1) winless streak for the Retrievers.
• UMBC is 4-1-1 vs. the Explorers in Baltimore, but the last victory occurred in 2010. The teams played to a scoreless draw in 2012 and La Salle captured a 1-0 decision in 2015.

A Glance at the Explorers 

• La Salle is 1-1-0 on the season, opening with a 4-2 setback at Army West Point, but capturing a 1-0 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn in their August 30 home opener
• Senior striker Nigel Buckley scored his second goal of the season for the game-winner in the 74' versus the Terriers.
• La Salle had a solid 2021 spring campaign, posting a record of 5-5-1. Buckley was one of four players to score three goals.  

Up Next

The Retrievers host Iona on Sunday, Sept. 5 at 7:00 p.m.