The UMBC women's soccer team (4-5-4, 0-2-2 America East) returns to action on Thursday evening when they travel to Newark, New Jersey to lineup against the NJIT Highlanders (3-6-5, 0-3-1) on Lubetkin Field at J. Malcolm Stadium. The opening whistle is set for 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+. 
 
NOTABLE

• Halfway through America East play, the Retrievers are currently one point out of playoff position behind Bryant, who has earned three draws. UMBC and Vermont have two points apiece while NJIT has a point.
• The Dawgs are coming off a 2-1 defeat at the hands of UAlbany on Sunday afternoon after the visitors scored two second half goals and held on to pick up their third conference victory.
• Sophomore midfielder Izzy Binko (Selbyville, Del., Indian River) came off the bench to give the Retrievers a 1-0 advantage with just 3:33 left before halftime off a great setup by classmate Abby Joseph (Lexington Park, Md., Great Mills), who led Binko with a feed into the right side of the box. Binko sprinted onto the ball and drilled a winner just under the center of the crossbar for her first tally of the season.
• Senior goalkeeper Morgan McGruder (Overland Park, Kan., Blue Valley North) recorded a season-high 10 saves in the contest and now has made 60 stops on the campaign. The total was just one shy off her career-high (11) that she established versus UMass Lowell on October 3, 2021. It was also the fourth highest total made by a conference keeper in 2022.
• McGruder leads the America East with six clean sheets and is second with a 1.08 goals against average. She is also third with an .811 save percentage.
• Joseph is now tied for fourth place on the circuit with three assists this season.
• Meghan McKye (Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Northern Secondary School) leads UMBC with five goals, which is good for seventh in the America East. The junior striker is also ninth overall in points (11). Her three game-winners are tied for tops in the league.      

A GLANCE AT THE HIGHLANDERS     

• The Highlanders are coming off a 4-0 victory over Delaware State last Friday evening in Newark. Senior midfielder Bailey Chant scored a goal and added an assist to lead the attack.
• NJIT is seventh in the league in scoring (1.07 goals per game.) and are also yielding 1.07 gpg.
• Sophomore midfielder Ciara Adams, sophomore midfielder Caroline Caputo, and freshman forward Kelsey Ramos lead the Highlanders with two goals each. Sophomore midfielder Aleesha Deshmukh is tied for fifth in the league with three assists.
• Senior goalkeeper Molly Saylor is third in the America East with a 1.11 goals against average and leads the league in saves (77) and save percentage (.837). 

THE ALL-TIME SERIES

• This will be just the fifth all-time meeting as the Retrievers are 1-1-2 versus the Highlanders but the Black and Gold are 1-0-1 in conference meetings.
• UMBC and NJIT played to a scoreless draw in their last meeting on October 14, 2021 at Retriever Soccer Park. Caroline Koutsos (Boyds, Md., Our Lady of Good Counsel) attempted a team-high three shots for the Dawgs, all of which were on target.
• UMBC's lone victory against the Highlanders was a 1-0 overtime decision in New Jersey on March 28, 2021. McKye scored in the 99' to give the Retrievers the sudden victory.