BALTIMORE - The UMBC men's soccer team (4-2-1) opens the 2023 America East slate when they travel to Albany, N.Y. to take on the UAlbany Great Danes on Saturday, Sept. 23. The opening kick-off is slated for 6:00 p.m. on the turf at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium.
 
BREAKING NEWS:

• The Retrievers fell at home for the first time in 2023 as visiting American edged UMBC, 3-1, on Sept. 19. Senior forward Taylor Calheira scored his seventh goal of the season to tie the match at 1-1 in the 35', but AU scored twice in the second half to earn the victory.
• In the previous contest, UMBC utilized the enthusiasm of the Retriever Soccer Park crowd and their effective style of play to defeat No. 16/25 Cornell, 2-1, before 1,935 energized fans on Sept 16. The Big Red would defeat No. 7 Syracuse, 2-1, three evenings later.
• Calheira leads the team with seven goals and one assist through six games. He is tied for second in the country in goal scoring and goals per contest (1.0). He need one more tally to hit the 30-goal mark and enter UMBC's all-time top ten list.
• Junior Ty Stroud leads the team with three assists.
• The goalkeeping duties have been split between senior Jay Gillespie and sophomore newcomer Emigdio Tormo Lopez. Each netminder has recorded a pair of victories and one shutout.
• UMBC was ranked No. 3 in the United Soccer Coaches Northeast Region poll of Sept. 19. America East Conference foes Vermont (1), New Hampshire (2), Bryant (4) and UAlbany (10) comprised half of the teams in the poll.  

A GLANCE AT THE GREAT DANES           

• UAlbany (4-4-0) has been a dominant home side in 2023, winning all four of its home matches by a combined 10-1 margin.
• Most recently, the Great Danes snapped a two-game slide with a 3-0 win over Lafayette on Sept. 19. Junior defender Tiago Dias scored his third goal of the season in the 20' and UAlbany added a pair of second half goals to record the shutout.  
• Graduate student midfielder Alex Pechacek is tied for fourth in the nation with six assists through eight games.  
• The Great Dane defense has only permitted to attempt nine shots per game. Goalkeeper Shafique Wilson has only had to make 11 saves in seven outings.

  
THE ALL-TIME SERIES

• UMBC holds a slim 9-8-5 margin in 22 all-time meetings.
• The Great Danes are 3-1-2 versus the Retrievers in the last six meetings, including last season's 1-0 win at Retriever Soccer Park. UAlbany scored in the 85' and Wilson made seven saves to keep the Retrievers off the board.
• The Retrievers are 1-6-3 in ten prior matches in Albany and the lone win occurred in 2010.

 
UP NEXT

• UMBC will have its longest break between games since the season started after the contest in Albany. The Retrievers host upstart Bryant at Retriever Soccer Park on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 7:00 p.m.