UMBC

The UMBC men’s soccer team opens its 2004 campaign this Saturday, September 4, as the Retrievers host the Greene Turtle/adidas Kick Off soccer tournament at the UMBC Soccer Stadium.

UMBC plays the “nightcap” at 2:30 p.m., as they face provisional NCAA Division I member New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). The opening game pits Towson vs. Georgia Southern at noon. The consolation game takes place on Monday, September 6 at noon, followed by the title game at 2:30.

UMBC has never faced NJIT, nor the Georgia Southern Eagles. Should the Retrievers face the Tigers on Monday, it would be the 25th meeting overall, with UMBC holding a slim 11-10-3 advantage. The two teams had not met for eight years before UMBC edged TU, 1-0, in the opening round of the Battle of Baltimore Tournament last fall. The Retrievers have won four of the last five meetings, and are 5-4-1 vs. Towson since beginning Division I play in 1986. Only one of those ten contests has been decided by more than one goal, a 3-1 UMBC win in 1991.

UMBC has hosted a "Kick-Off-style" tournament or classic in each of the last seven seasons. The Retrievers have won the tournament in four of the last five years and have compiled a record of 10-3-1 overall. Other tournament winners were Philadelphia (1997), Winthrop (1998) and Hofstra (2002). Last season, UMBC won the event by virtue of a 4-0 win over Colgate and a 0-0 draw with Lafayette. Senior forward Derek McElligott scored twice against the Red Raiders and earned Tournament MVP honors.

The Retrievers had a brief hiccough in 2002, but have been dominant since the Soccer Stadium has hosted games, beginning in 1998. In that span, UMBC is 39-8-7, with 3 losses and 2 ties occurring in the 2002 campaign.

UMBC received votes in the pre-season Top 20 poll, conducted by College Soccer News, and were technically ranked #38 by the on-line publication. The Retrievers were also listed as a "Team to Keep an Eye On" for the 2004 season. UMBC played 13^th-ranked VCU to a 1-1 draw in a scrimmage in Richmond, VA on Saturday. McElligott was the goal-scorer for the Retrievers.