Box Score BALTIMORE – The UMBC men's soccer team secured an America East Conference Tournament First Round playoff game after defeating the NJIT Highlanders, 2-0, on Tuesday evening at Retriever Soccer Park. UMBC finished the regular season with a 7-6-4 (4-2-1, AE) mark.

"NJIT is a very good team, and we knew it was going to be a difficult game," stated UMBC head coach Anthony Adams. "You always want to be hot going into the playoffs. Three straight wins and three straight shutouts against quality teams is a great way to finish the regular season."

The Retrievers, who will host No. 6 Binghamton on Saturday at 7:00 p.m., got on the board in the 83rd minute to break the deadlock. Senior midfielder Ismailcan Usta sent a cross from the right side for junior Joseph Picotto, who headed in his fifth tally from point-blank range. NJIT goalie Devin Armstrong nearly made a sensational save, but the ball deflected off his palm and crossed the line. Freshman Gunder Miller also picked up his first career assist on the game-winner.

UMBC added an insurance tally with 1:52 remaining as sophomore forward Ryan Calheira (5th marker) scored on a breakaway after receiving a through ball from senior midfielder Ty Stroud.  

Junior goalie Emigdio Tormo Lopez recorded his third consecutive clean sheet and was asked to make just one save on the night as the Retrievers' defense put forth another dominant performance.

UMBC defeated Binghamton by a 2-0 score on September 28th in Vestal, New York. The Retrievers enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed.

"We were fortunate enough to come out on top against Binghamton, but it was a good game, and we expect another hard-fought match on Saturday. More importantly, we need a big crowd on Saturday night. Our fans have been great all season, and we'll need them to come out in big numbers and get behind the guys."