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News Release
MEN'S SOCCER TO RE-OPEN SOCCER STADIUM IN adidas KICK OFF CLASSIC ON FRIDAY VS. ST. JOSEPH'S
8/23/2006
The UMBC men’s soccer team kicks off the 2006 season with the adidas Kick Off Classic at refurbished UMBC Soccer Stadium this Friday and Sunday, August 25 and 27. Navy and Virginia Tech will play the opening game on Friday at 1:00 p.m., followed by the host Retrievers taking on
On Sunday, Navy takes on
A NEW PITCH: UMBC returns to the friendly confines of the Soccer Stadium this fall. The field has been refurbished, with a new Bermuda grass surface, draining and irrigation systems and soccer dugouts. The Retrievers played all of their 2005 home games on the Momentum turf of UMBC Stadium, compiling a 6-3-2 home record. However, UMBC has gone unbeaten in its last 21 regular season games (14-0-7) on the natural surface of the Soccer Stadium, dating back to a 3-1 loss to Navy early in the 2002 campaign. The Retrievers did lose a post-season game at the Soccer Stadium, falling to Northeastern in the America East Conference Tournament semifinals in 2002.
21ST SEASON OF DIVISION I SOCCER: UMBC is competing in its 21st season of Division I soccer. UMBC is now 211-141-35 (.591) in 20 years of Division I competition and 347-256-67 (.568) in 39 seasons of varsity competition. The Retrievers have recorded eight straight winning campaigns and posted a .500 mark or better in all but three (1986, 1988, 1997) of 20 Division I seasons.
HEAD COACH
PETE CARINGI
Career: 337-123-35
25th Season Overall
UMBC Record: 167-96-27
16th Season at UMBC
Has most victories of any coach in the program’s history (167)...entering the season, he ranked 34th amongst all active coaches with a winning percentage of .622.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: UMBC has hosted a "Kick-Off-style" tournament or classic in each of the last nine seasons. The Retrievers have won the tournament in five of the last seven years and have compiled a record of 12-3-3 overall. Last season, UMBC captured the title with a win over Rider and a draw with Davidson. Other tournament winners were Philadephia (1997), Winthrop (1998), Hofstra (2002) and Georgia Southern (2004).
SEASON PREVIEW: The Retrievers return only eight letterwiners and and five starters from last year’s squad, which finished 9-7-3 overall and 6-2-0 in the America East Conference. UMBC led the conference (or were tied for the league lead) from September 24-November 1, until eventual league champion Stony Brook defeated UMBC, 3-2 in overtime to take the regular season title.
However, UMBC does return three of its top five returning scorers from a year ago, including seniors David Feazell (5g, 2a) and Kevin Mezzadra (6g, 2a). Mezzadra is UMBC’s lone returning All America East squad member. Defensively, two-year starters Bobby Woods, a senior, and Bryan Moffa, a junior return to the backfield, while America East All Rookie Team member Steve King (0.93 gaa, 8.5 shutouts) returns in the nets.
UMBC was picked fifth in the America East Confernce pre-season coaches poll. Vermont captured the top spot as the Catamounts received two first-place votes (coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team) and 54 points overall to edge Boston University, who had four first-place votes and 53 points.
FOR OPENERS: Under Head Coach Pete Caringi, UMBC has won 13 of 15 opening games. However, the Retrievers are just 2-2 in their last four lid lifters, including a 3-0 loss vs.