UMBC

UMBC sophomore forward Andrew Bulls (Millersville, Md./McDonogh) was named National Soccer Coaches Association of America National Player of the Week honors for Sept. 9. Bulls and his teammates are preparing to host the seventh annual adidas Kick-Off Classic at UMBC Soccer Stadium. The Retrievers (3-0-0) host St. Francis (Pa.) (1-2-0) in the nightcap of Thursday’s action at 4:30 p.m. Navy  (1-1-0) takes on Mount St. Mary’s (1-1-0) in the opening game at 2:00 p.m.

Dawg Bytes

The 3-0-0 start is UMBC’s best since the 2004 season… Moreover, the 14 goals scored in three games (3-1 vs. Va. Tech, 5-1 vs. Delaware, 6-0 vs. St. Joseph’s)  equals the school-record output that UMBC opened the ’04 campaign with…  Sophomore forward Andrew Bulls was named National Player of the Week and earned a spot on National Team of the Week by College Soccer News… He was also tabbed America East Men’s Soccer Player of the Week and NSCAA National Player of the Week.

Both Bulls and junior forward Levi Houapeu are the first Retrievers to score goals in three straight games since Kevin Gnatiko did so in 2007… They are also the first UMBC players to post three consecutive multiple-point games since Derek McElligott has two goals in three straight games in 2003… Bulls’ six-point effort vs. St. Joseph’s is the first for a Retriever in five seasons as McElligott (three goals) and Powell Cucchiella (one goal, four assists) posted six points in a 10-0 rout of NJIT on Sept. 4, 2004.

Sophomore Delaware transfer Andy Streilein  scored his first Retriever goal against his former mates in the 5-1 win over the Blue Hens… Freshman forward Matt Knight also had a two-goal game in the 6-0 win over St. Joseph’s… The six-goal outburst is the most for a UMBC team since that 10-0 rout of NJIT on Sept 4, 2004… Freshman netminder Phil Saunders got the start in all three contests and allowed only one goal in 255 minutes of action.

Series Notes 

UMBC has won 15 of 16 all-time meetings with St. Francis, including seven straight... The two teams have not met since UMBC’s final season in the Northeast Conference, the 2002 campaign where the Retrievers pulled out a 3-0 victory.

The Red Flash

Head Coach Michael Casper played for the Retrievers from 1996-99, and those teams put together a composite record of 54-19-11... David Butler and Owen Gombami each headed in a goal and Darius Motazed  played solid in goal as Saint Francis shut out the Duquesne Dukes 2-0 for their first win of the season on Monday... The Red Flash opened the season with a 5-0 loss at Penn State and Drexel scored with 32 seconds remaining to hand Saint Francis a 2-1 setback in the team’s home opener on Saturday. St. Francis was 5-11-2 last season and return seven starters from that squad.