BALTIMORE - The UMBC men's soccer team (5-2-1, 1-0-0 AE) host another powerful foe when upstart Bryant (8-1-0, 0-1-0 AE) visits Retriever Soccer Park on Saturday, Sept. 30.  The opening kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Paul Mittermeier on the call.
 
BREAKING NEWS:

• The Retrievers opened America East Conference play in style last Saturday evening, knocking off host UAlbany, 2-1, at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium.
• The Retrievers scored a goal in each half, as senior midfielder Tyler Harry tallied in the 28' and sophomore back Lasse Kelp added an insurance goal in the 71'.
• The win was UMBC's first in Albany since 2010 and just their second in 11 matches in the New York capital region.
• The America East Conference is currently ranked No. 3 as a conference behind just the Pac-12 and the ACC in NCAA Men's Soccer's first RPI rating of the 2023 season. The AE is one of two conferences with five schools in the top 50 of RPI, alongside the ACC. Those five schools are Vermont (9), Bryant (28), UMBC (37), NJIT (44) & UNH (49).
• UMBC is ranked No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches Northeast Regional poll as of Sept. 26. Along with the Retrievers, Vermont (1), UNH (2), Bryant (3) and NJIT (9) comprise half of the poll. Cornell, a team which UMBC edged, 2-1, on Sept. 16, is ranked No. 4 in the region.
• Senior forward Taylor Calheira leads the team with seven goals and one assist through seven games. He is tied for seventh in the country in goal scoring and eighth in goals per contest (0.88). 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.
• For both Harry and Kelp, the scores were their initial goals of the season and second tallies for their Retriever tenures. Harry made his first start of the 2023 campaign at UAlbany.
• Sophomore Emigdio Tormo Lopez has started the last three games for UMBC. He made four saves and came within 70 seconds of his second shutout of the season.  

 
A GLANCE AT THE BULLDOGS            

• Bryant (8-1-0, 0-1-0 AE) has experienced a dramatic turnaround, improving from 3-10-1 in 2022 to 8-1-0 to date this season. They are currently receiving votes (T27 th nationally) in the United Soccer Coaches' Sept. 26 poll.
• After opening the season with seven victories, Bryant lost 1-0 in the league opener to No. 17 Vermont on Sept. 22. They conceded a goal in the 60' versus the Catamounts. Bryant rebounded with a 3-0 victory over Quinnipiac on Tuesday.
• The Bulldogs have outscored their foes, 20-1, and all eight wins have occurred via the shutout route. Goalkeeper Antreas Hadjigavriel is second in the nation in goals against average at 0.11.    
• Bryant presents a balanced attack, led by senior midfielder Vicente Valor Martinez, who has scored three goals and added a team-high four assists on the season. Junior forward Marc Pitarch Bayot leads the squad with four goals.

  
THE ALL-TIME SERIES

• UMBC has won both meetings versus Bryant, a 1-0 triumph in 2017 at RSP and a 2-0 victory last October in Smithfield, R.I.
• Alek Wroblewski scored the first goal and game-winner in the 27' versus the Bulldogs in 2022.

 
UP NEXT

• UMBC plays its final non-conference game of the year when they welcome Navy to Retriever Soccer Park on Tuesday, Oct. 3.