BALTIMORE - Fresh off a draw on Saturday evening in Bethlehem, Pa., UMBC will travel to Virginia to take on the 22nd-ranked Old Dominion Monarchs at 7 p.m. on Friday night.
Through four games this season, UMBC sits 2-1-1, earning victories over Loyola (Md.) and Presbyterian. UMBC's 0-0 draw versus Lehigh on Saturday was the first clean sheet of the season for the Retrievers, and the first in a UMBC uniform for
Joe Pollard.
Friday night's contest will mark the fourth straight season in which Old Dominion and UMBC have competed. The Monarchs picked up a 1-0 victory last September after a pair of draws to open the series revival as they met in 2023 for the first time since 2012.
UMBC went 1-1 in the UMBC/Navy Tournament, placing second thanks to a goals-scored tiebreaker.
Adamo Pantaleo,
Aidom Tadesse, and
Abdul Kamara were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Six players have combined to score eight goals for UMBC, with Kamara leading the way with three. Kamara earned America East Offensive Player of the Week honors for a two-goal performance against Presbyterian in a 5-1 win.
Kamara and
Flynn Holdem have each received America East Weekly honors for their efforts this season, with Holdem being named AE Rookie of the Week after scoring in the win over Loyola.
Nico Banks, Pantaleo,
Abdi Bahur, and
Trae Robeson have started all four matches for the Retrievers with each logging at least 238 minutes thus far.
Kamara,
Gunder Miller,
Alberto Galicia,
Moritz Krug, and Pollard have each made three starts for UMBC. Kamara (3), Banks (1), Pantaleo (1), Miller (1), Holdem (1), and Tadesse (1) have combined to score the Retrievers' eight goals this season.
Coming off a 3-0 victory over Bucknell on Sunday, Old Dominion finds itself ranked 22nd in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll, the program's first ranking since 2008. ODU is up to 5-0 on the season, outscoring its opponents 20-5 across those five contests. The Monarchs' plus-15 goal differential is tops in Division I.
Five players have scored multiple goals for Old Dominion, led by four goals and three assists from Lewis Rourke. Jason Purks (4), Noah Dietze (2), David Chapman (2), and Mile Zivkovic (2) have all added their names to the scoresheet multiple times. Ludovico Vicini is tied with Rourke for the team lead with three assists. In goal Alexander Aguilar is 5-0 with nine saves and five goals allowed.
