The UMBC men's soccer team (7-3-3, 3-1-1 America East) plays its final regular season road contest on Friday, Oct. 27 when the Retrievers travel to Newark, N.J and take on the NJIT Highlanders (5-7-3, 2-2-1) at 7:00 p.m. on the turf of Lubetkin Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ as NJIT will honor its seniors before the match.
BREAKING NEWS
- UMBC knocked off a ranked opponent for the second time this season, upsetting No. 16 Vermont, 2-1, at Virtue Field on Oct. 21. It was also UMBC's second consecutive defeat of the Catamounts and both have occurred when UVM has been in the national Top 20.
- UMBC leads the powerful America East Conference with 10 points, but, due to multiple tie-breaking scenarios, have not clinched a spot in the six-team league tournament.
- The Retrievers are ranked No. 29 in the Oct. 22 RPI rankings. The league is ranked No. 5, with UNH (6), Vermont (13) and Bryant (18) and UMBC all in the top 30. UMBC received votes in the College Soccer News Top 30 poll for the week ending Oct. 22, 2023.
- Senior forward Alek Wroblewski opened the scoring in the 2' at Vermont, tallying his sixth goal of the year. He converted a one-on-one with the goalkeeper after receiving a through ball from Taylor Calheira. Sophomore defender Lasse Kelp made it 2-0 in the 48', converting on a free kick from 24 yards out.
- Kelp earned both America East Defensive Players of the Week and College Soccer News Team of the Week honors. His GWG versus Vermont was the defender's second of the season and second in three America East road games.
- The Retrievers have won three consecutive road games for the first time since 2013 when they prevailed in four consecutive road contests.
- UMBC senior forward Taylor Calheira has reached the 10-goal plateau in back-to-back seasons and his 32nd career strike vs. UNH moved him into eighth place on the school's all-time list. He has also moved into a tie for ninth place on the Retrievers' all-time points list with 78.
- Calheira is three goals clear of Vermont's Yaniv Bazini for the top spot in America East. Calheira is tied for 13th in the tenth in goal scoring and in goals per contest (0.77) as of the last statistical report on October 24. He is the 40th-ranked player in Top Drawer Soccer's Men's National Top 100 player rankings.
- Senior forward Alek Wroblewski, the America East's Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 16, is fifth in the league with a career-best six goals scored.
- UMBC was ranked No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches Northeast Regional poll as of Oct. 23. Along with the Retrievers, UNH (1), Vermont (2) and Bryant (3) comprise four teams in the poll. Cornell, a team which UMBC edged, 2-1, on Sept. 16, is ranked No. 5 in the region.
- UMBC is tied for 41st in the nation in scoring offense with 1.85 goals scored per game.
A GLANCE AT THE HIGHLANDERS
- NJIT has dropped three straight since their 1-0 win over No. Vermont on Oct. 7.
- They gave host UNH a battle on Oct. 21, but fell, 2-1. Enrique Mutsoli scored in the 85' to cut the deficit to a single goal, but the Highlanders could not earn a result.
- Sophomore midfielder Alvaro Heredia leads the team in goals (5) and points (12), but sophomore linemate Maximus Barboto is tied for tenth in the country with 0.62 assists (8 total) per contest.
- Grad student goalkeeper Samuel Reisgys has the most saves (47) in America East.
- NJIT has attempted the most corner kicks (82, 5.5 per game) in America East.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
- UMBC leads the all-time series, 3-2-0 and has won two consecutive games after the Highlanders prevailed in the first two America East clashes.
- In 2022, Taylor Calheira scored in the 20' and 47' to lead the Retrievers to a 4-1 victory at Retriever Soccer Park.
- UMBC trailed, 2-0, at the half in Newark in 2021, but scored three times in the final 40 minutes to earn a spot in the America East Tournament as they prevailed, 3-2.
UP NEXT
In the regular season finale, UMBC will host Binghamton on Tuesday, Oct. 31. Eleven Retrievers will be honored on Senior Night prior to the 7:00 p.m. kick-off.
