The UMBC men's soccer team (1-0-0) kicks off their ten-game home slate on Monday, Aug. 28 when the Old Dominion Monarchs (0-0-1) make their first-ever visit to Retriever Soccer Park. To accommodate new and returning UMBC students, the special start time is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
The game will be broadcast on America East.tv with Paul Mittermeier on the call.
 
BREAKING NEWS
 

• Senior forward Taylor Calheira netted his second career hat trick as UMBC opened the 2023 campaign with a 4-3 wild victory over host George Mason.
• The victory was the first for Head Coach Anthony Adams, '97, who spent the previous 26 years as the Retrievers' assistant/associate head coach.
• UMBC raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first 22 minutes of play, but the Patriots produced a furious rally, knotting the score in the 62'. But Calheira converted on a penalty kick in the 63' and the Retrievers held off Mason in a lengthy second half.   
• The multi-goal game is the fifth of Calheira's career and he now has 25 career goals.
• Alek Wroblewski netted the game's first goal for the Retrievers.

 
EARLY DAWG TALES
 

• The Retrievers return 19 letterwinners and welcome in eight newcomers for the 2023 campaign. UMBC posted a record of 10-6-2 in 2022 and qualified for the America East Championships for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
• Calheira is one of 32 forwards nationwide who have been selected to the United Soccer Coaches 2023 NCAA Division I "Forwards to Watch."  He finished the 2022 season tied for fifth nationally with 1.71 points per game and was named the America East Conference Striker of the Year.
• Graduate student Jordan Ehart (Baltimore, Md./Mount St. Joseph) is believed to be the first Retriever to participate in a "sixth season." The defender/midfielder kicked off his career in the fall of 2018, making 15 starts for UMBC. He suffered his second major knee injury while at UMBC and did not play in the fall of 2021.

The many faces of Jordan Ehart -
https://umbcretrievers.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/jordan-ehart/8175

• Three other returning players earned America East All Conference honors in 2022.

- Lasse Kelp, Soph., Def.,– America East All-Rookie Team
- Alek Wroblewski, Sr., For,– America East Second Team
- Hans Nesheim, Sr., Def. - America East Second Team, All Academic Team
  
GENERALLY NOTABLE

• UMBC will face three programs ranked in the United Soccer Coaches preseason Top 25. They welcome No. 20 Cornell (14-4-1, 2022) on Sept. 16, entertain No. 23 UNH (15-4-1) on Oct. 14 (Homecoming 2023) and travel to No. 12 Vermont (16-4-2) on Oct. 21. 
• UMBC (34 votes each) and UAlbany were picked to finish tied for third in the America East Conference Preseason poll, voted on by the league's coaches. Defending league champion UNH (46) edged national quarterfinalist Vermont (45) for the top spot in the poll.   
• The Retrievers are 14-1-5 in their last 20 home opening matches.

·       
A GLANCE AT THE MONARCHS       

• Old Dominion opened the campaign with a 2-2 draw versus George Washington at the ODU Soccer Complex on Thursday.
• After ODU gave up two goals in the first half, the Monarchs scored twice and nearly connected on several other shots before settling for a 2-2 tie with the Colonials.
• JR M Karan Mandair tallied less than four minutes into the second half on a penalty kick and SO F Michael Eberle made it 2-2 at 68:22 when he headed in a near-perfect pass from Nathan Lam.
• The Monarchs posted a record of 6-8-2 in 2022, finishing the season with four consecutive setbacks.           

 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES

• This will only be the fourth meeting between UMBC and ODU and third since the Retriever program entered the NCAA Division I ranks.
• In 2012, the two squads met in the NCAA Tournament First Round at Norfolk. The game was scoreless after 110 minutes and UMBC prevailed, 4-2 in penalty kicks.
• ODU leads the series, 1-0-2.

UP NEXT

• UMBC will host a pair of matches on Labor Day Weekend, welcoming Liberty on Friday, Sept. 1 and Howard on Saturday, Sept. 3. Both contests get underway at 7:00 p.m.