UMBC

The UMBC (9-1-0, 0-1-0 America East) men’s soccer team plays its first of three home America East Conference games on Wednesday, Oct. 7 as they host the Stony Brook Seawolves (1-8-2, 0-1-0) at 7:00 p.m. under the lights at UMBC Stadium. The game can be seen on www.umbcretrievers.tv with Paul Mittermeier and Andrew Primrose on the call. 

Sophomore forward Andrew Bulls continues to lead in the nation in scoring with 13 goals and 31 total points. Junior forward Levi Houapeu is third in scoring with eight goals and 24 points and second in assists with eight. The Retrievers are third in the nation in total offense with 2.8 goals score per game, trailing only top-ranked Akron and Winthrop at 2.89. The 9-1-0 record is also third-best in the nation.

The Retrievers’ (9-1-0, 0-1-0) nine-game winning streak was halted in the America East Conference opener, as the Retrievers fell, 3-1, a Vermont on Saturday. The Retrievers are ranked No. 23 in this week’s College Soccer News’ poll. Bulls did keep his scoring streak alive at 10, as he tallied his 13^th goal of the campaign in the 31^st minute. He has scored in all ten games to date and his 13 goals are the most in a single season for UMBC since Derek McElligott amassed 15 goals in 2003. Bulls is one shy of UMBC’s all-time Division I record for points in consecutive games, held by Giuliano Celenza, who scored in 11 straight in the 2000 campaign.

Freshman netminder Phil Saunders made three saves in the game and allowed multiple goals for the first time in his ten-game tenure. The Catamounts’ score in the 12^th minute was UMBC’s first goal allowed in 447 minutes.

Vermont is now 3-0-2 vs. UMBC in the last five meetings and holds a 3-2-2 series advantage. UMBC is 0-8-2 in its last ten America East road games, with its last win occurring at Maine in 2006. The Retrievers play two of their three America East home games in a four-day span this week, hosting Stony Brook on Wednesday evening and UNH on Saturday afternoon

The Retrievers’ 9-0-0 start was the best in school history and the longest winning streak since 1999, when the NCAA-bound team won 13 straight contests. The 1977 team (15-2-0) started its NCAA Division II tournament-bound season at 7-0-0, while the 1999 Retriever Division I squad opened with six straight wins en route to the nation’s best record that campaign at 19-1-2. 

Saunders had posted four straight shutouts in wins over CAA foes Towson (1-0) and Drexel, Loyola and La Salle. The four consecutive shutouts are UMBC’s first-such streak since a similar string in 2007.

Rankings

The Retrievers are ranked 23rd by College Soccer News, after debuting at No. 20 in that poll on Sept. 28.  UMBC is ranked sixth (tied with Dartmouth) in the NSCAA Northeast region this week after spending the last two weeks at No. 3. The team was ranked 18th overall nationally by the NSCAA on Sept. 28. The Retrievers also debuted at No. 25 in Soccer America and at No. 21 in Soccer Times on Sept. 28 and received votes (18, 32^nd) in the latter poll this week.

Game Reviews and Notes

Bulls scored a pair of first half goals, leading the visiting Retrievers to a 3-0 victory over La Salle (3-4-1) in the team’s first road contest of the season on Sept. 26. Bulls netted his 11th and 12th goals of the season in the 22nd and 29th minutes and freshman Matt Knight added an insurance goal in the 89th minute to extend UMBC’s school-record winning streak to start a campaign. UMBC freshman goalkeeper Phil Saunders  made five saves to record his fourth consecutive shutout and his fifth of the season.  UMBC snapped an 11-game road winless streak, which dated back to the 2007 season.

Bulls scored on a free kick in the 44th minute and Saunders made three outstanding saves in the final two minutes as UMBC edged Loyola , 1-0, before 1,505 fans at UMBC Stadium on Sept. 22. Saunders finished with six saves. It was UMBC’s first-ever win over Loyola on home turf.  The Greyhounds lead the series, 18-2-2, with the Retrievers’ lone previous win occurring at Towson in 2003.

UMBC junior forward Levi Houapeu recorded the Retrievers’ first three-goal game in three years, leading the Retrievers to a 3-0 win over Drexel on Sept. 19. The team’s seven wins to start a season broke the school Division I record of the 1999 team, which played Fairleigh Dickinson to a 1-1 draw in the seventh game of the season were 6-0-1 after seven games. Houapeu recorded UMBC’s first three-goal game since Kevin Mezzadra scored three times in a home win over Howard on Sept. 20, 2006. The win was UMBC’s first-ever over Drexel, which leads the all-time series, 4-1-1. Bulls did not score a goal for the first time this season, but his assist on Houapeu’s final goal kept his scoring streak alive. Bulls scored goals in UMBC’s first six games and his eight goals in six games was the fastest to get to that plateau in UMBC’s Division I history. Ty Engram scored 11 goals through the first eight games of the 1999 campaign.

For the second consecutive year, UMBC won both games in its adidas Kick-Off Classic, but placed second to Navy. The Mids also defeated Mount St. Mary’s and St. Francis and allowed only one goal, compared to two allowed by the Retrievers.

UMBC has outscored its opponents, 28-7, through ten games this season… The Retrievers last recorded four consecutive shutouts in the 2005 season… UMBC is 0-8-2 in its last ten America East road games, with its last win occurring at Maine in 2006…Before the win over Loyola, UMBC was just 1-8-2 in its last eleven night contests…  In its last 60 home games, the Retrievers are 38-9-13 (.742)…  Since 1998, UMBC is 58-27-15 (.654) vs. non-league competition.

Series Notes 

Stony Brook leads the all-time series with UMBC at 4-3-0 and has won four of the last five meetings. UMBC won in Baltimore, 4-0, in 2007, and USB blanked the Retrievers, 2-0 in the 2008 season finale.

The Seawolves

Stony Brook is looking to snap an eight-game winless streak. USB’s top result was a 1-1 draw with four-ranked St. John’s on Sept. 11. Three Seawolves, freshman Berian Gobeil, sophomore Wilber Bonilla, and freshman Leonardo Fernandes share the team lead with three goals apiece. Stony Brook has allowed 15 first half goals in 2009.

National Leaders: (as of Oct. 5, 2009)

Scoring Offense:                       3. UMBC 2.80 goals per game  1. Akron/Winthrop 2.89

Scoring Defense:                       31. UMBC (0.70 goals per game)                   

Points per game:                       1. Andrew Bulls, 3.1 ppg; 3. Levi Houapeu, 2.4 ppg

Goals per game:                        1. Andrew Bulls, 1.3 gpg (13)

                                                12. Levi Houapeu, 0.8 gpg (8)

Assists per game:                      2. Levi Houapeu 0.8 apg (8) Michael Nanchoff, Akron 0.89

Save Pct.                                  20. Phil Saunders (.860) 

Goals Against Avg.                   23. Phil Saunders (0.61)

Andrew Bulls                                          NSCAA Player of the Week                                   Sept. 1-7

                                                                College Soccer News’ Player of the Week

                                                                College Soccer News’ Team of the Week

                                                                America East Conference Player of the Week

                                                                adidas Kick-Off Classic Most Valuable Player      Sept. 8, 10

                                                                America East Conference Player of the Week        Sept. 8-13

                                                                Soccer America’s Team of the Week

Levi Houapeu                                         adidas Kick-Off Classic All-Tournament Team     Sept. 8, 10

                                                                College Soccer News’ Team of the Week               Sept. 14-20

                                                                Soccer America’s Team of the Week          

                                                                America East Conference Player of the Week

Phil Saunders                                          America East Conference Rookie of the Week       Sept. 14-20

                                                                America East Conference Rookie of the Week       Sept. 21-27

Vince Savarese                                        adidas Kick-Off Classic All-Tournament Team     Sept. 8, 10

Chris Williams                                        adidas Kick-Off Classic All-Tournament Team     Sept. 8, 10

Andrew Bulls, The NSCAA Player of the Week (Sept. 8) posted his third consecutive two-goal game in the 3-1 win over St. Francis (PA)… Bulls was named America East Conference Men’s Soccer Player of the Week for games ending Sept. 13, 2009, earning the league’s top honor for the second consecutive week… He also was named to Soccer America’s Team of the Week (Sept. 15)… Bulls now has 21 career goals in 27 games and his 12 goals is the most in a season since Derek McElligott tallied 15 in the 2003 campaign

Levi Houapeu, who also earned All-Tournament team honors, assisted on all three UMBC in the 3-1 win over St. Francis (Pa.)… It was UMBC’s first three-assist effort since Powell Cucchiella posted four in a 10-0 win over NJIT in the opener of the 2004 campaign… His eight helpers are the most in a single season for UMBC since Cucchiella and Matt Watson amassed nine each in 2005… Houapeu scored all three goals in the 3-0 triumph over visiting Drexel… He recorded UMBC’s first three-goal game since Kevin Mezzadra scored three times in a home win over Howard on Sept. 20, 2006… Houapeu scored in the ninth, 25th and 77th minutes of the game.

A pair of UMBC defenders, junior Chris Williams and sophomore Vince Savarese also were named to the All-Tournament team of the adidas Kick-Off Classic.

Freshman midfielder Milo Kapor scored his first collegiate goal (85’) in the win over the Red Flash, just 29 seconds after Bulls’ second goal of the game.