The UMBC men's soccer squad (4-2-1, 1-0-0 America East) steps out of America East play in each of the next three weeks, starting with a Tuesday, Sept. 21 contest at Lehigh (0-5-1, 0-1-0 Patriot League). The opening kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Ulrich Sports Complex and the contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.  

In its most recent outing, UMBC scored three times in the first 25 minutes of play and held off Hartford, 3-0, in the America East opener for both squads on Saturday, Sept. 18.

UMBC sophomore forward Taylor Calheira (Towson, Md./Concordia Prep) continued his red-hot week by scoring the game's first goal and assisting on the insurance goal. He registered three goals and two assists on the week and earned the America East Conference's Offensive Player of the Week honor.

DAWG BYTES

• UMBC has scored two or more goals in six of its seven games on the season. The Retrievers are ranked 26th national in scoring offense (2.29 gpg).
• Three players – Becher (5-2-12), Calheira (4-4-12) and Conze (3-4-10) are already in double figures in scoring.
• Calheira is tied for first in the country with three game-winning goals. He and Becher are tied for 29th with 1.71 points per game.
• UMBC is 4-0-1 when Conze hits the scoreboard
• Calheira's two-goal game vs. Mount St. Mary's on Sept. 14 was UMBC's second of the season. Ryan Becher (Hummelstown, Pa.) scored twice in the 4-3 loss at Maryland.
• Becher is second in America East in goals scored (5), goals per game (.714), points scored (12) and points per game (1.71). Conze is tied for first in the league with four assists and second with .571 assists per games. Calheira is third in points per game (1.57).   
• Sophomore midfielder Tyler Harry (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) posted his first multiple-point game with two assists.
• Becher now has ten career goals and 27 total points (10-7-27).
• Freshman goalkeeper Jailon Gillespie (Laurel, Del.) made his first career appearance and start at LIU on Saturday, posted his first win vs. Mount St. Mary's and registered his first career shutout (and the team's first on the season) vs. Hartford.  
• UMBC is 2-0-1 in overtime this season.
• 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 four contests and are 3-1-0 in those games.
• Head Coach Pete Caringi, Jr., enters his 31st campaign at UMBC and now has a record of 306-192-77. 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 MOUNTAIN HAWKS

• Lehigh comes into the matchup against the Retrievers with a 0-5-1 record. 
• The Mountain Hawks return 25 players from a team that had a record of 2-4 in the shortened spring 2021 season.
• Senior Josh Luchini leads the Mountain Hawks in goals (2), shots on goal (18), and points (5)
• Luchini netted the lone goal in the 62th minute in a 1-1 double overtime draw versus Fairleigh Dickinson
• Senior goalie Noah Sutherland is maintaining a 1.42 goals against average in four starts.  
• Stevo Bednarsky is a key returner for the Mountain Hawks. Stevo is a two-time First Team All-Patriot League midfielder

THE ALL-TIME SERIES

• The Retrievers and the Mountain Hawks will meet for the fifth time with the all-time series tied at 2-2
• The last meeting, which took place in 2007, resulted in a 3-0 loss for the Retrievers
• The Retrievers enter this match-up looking to snap a two-game losing streak against Lehigh 
• UMBC is 1-1 in two previous matches at the Ulrich Sports Complex

UP NEXT

UMBC returns to America East Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 25 when they travel to Lowell, Mass. and take on the UMass Lowell River Hawks. So that's Hawks to Mountain Hawks to River Hawks. Game time from Cushing Field is set for 7:00 p.m.