Kutztown (0-0-0) at UMBC (0-0-0) | Thu. Aug. 17, 7:00 PM | Retriever Soccer Park | Watch | Live Stats
DAWG BYTES
- The Rick Stainton Era gets underway this evening at Retriever Soccer Park. Stainton becomes the tenth head coach in program history, which began in the Retrievers' third NCAA Division I campaign of 1988.
- Stainton completed his third season as an assistant coach with the Georgetown women's soccer program in 2022. The Hoyas compiled a record of 41-4-13 from 2020-22 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each campaign.
- Prior to his three years in Washington, D.C. and one year as a head coach at the College of Saint Elizabeth's in Morristown, New Jersey, Stainton served as head women's soccer coach at Seton Hall University from 2013-18. During his tenure in South Orange, N.J., Stainton's squads won the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award in each of the five seasons and 110 Pirates were selected to the Big East All-Academic Team. On the pitch, SHU recorded a total of 18 shutouts and had a BIG EAST All-Freshman Team recognition.
- Before making his way to Seton Hall, Stainton spent a year at Fairleigh Dickinson University Teaneck Campus, where he held his first head coaching position at the Division I level. During his short stint at FDU, Stainton led the team to an 8-8-4 record and 4-1-3 in the Northeast Conference, its second best conference record in school history up to that point. With the 4-1-3 conference record, the Knights earned the number two seed in the NEC playoffs.
- Stainton was a part of the New Jersey-based Sky Blue FC staff for four years. While with Sky Blue FC, Stainton trained some of the most prominent women's players in the world, coaching a total of 12 players who competed in the 2011 FIFA World Cup including United States internationals Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly and Christie Rampone. Stainton began his tenure with the club as an assistant, a role in which he was responsible for goalkeeper development, prospect identification, implementation of off-season training programs and camp instruction. He also served as the head coach for a year where he guided the Sky Blue to a 7-10-7 record.
- SR forward Meghan McKye is UMBC's leading returning scorer with five goals last season.
- SO midfielder Delainey Varela-Keen was an America East All-Rookie Team pick in 2022.
- FR striker Payton Schenning was Maryland's Gatorade High School Girls' Player of the Year last season. The 5-foot-7 Schenning led Mercy High School to a 16-1 record and the Independent Athletic Association of Maryland Class A Tournament championship last season. Schenning scored 22 goals and passed for six assists. She was the 2022 Baltimore Sun Metro Player of the Year after missing her entire junior year with a knee injury. She participated in the High School All-American Game in December.
A GLANCE AT THE GOLDEN BEARS
- Nationally ranked Kutztown was picked third in the 2023 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division Preseason poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches.
- The Golden Bears ended last season at 11-6-4 overall and was voted 19th in the organization's final rankings. They earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament and made a historic run from that point, defeating Frostburg State and Gannon in the opening two rounds, en route to the program's second-ever Sweet 16 appearance. Kutztown fell just short of the Elite Eight and had its season end at the hands of No. 2 West Chester by a last-minute goal in the Atlantic Region Final.
- KU's 8-4-4 PSAC record at the end of the regular season last year was good for third in the East. Head coach Erik Burstein returns three All-PSAC performers from last season, including senior Isabella Rossetti (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East), junior Bridget Curtis (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) and sophomore Caroline McDonald (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East).
SERIES HISTORY
- UMBC is 2-1-0 against Kutztown.
- The Retrievers and Golden Bears have not met since the 1990 campaign, when The Dawgs won by a score of 3-0 at UMBC Stadium.
