UMBC

The UMBC men’s soccer team (12-5-0) will compete in its fourth America East Conference Tournament as they open play on Saturday, Nov. 7, when they travel to Binghamton (9-7-1) for a 7:00 p.m. kick-off in Vestal, N.Y. The Retrievers are seeded fifth and the Bearcats are the fourth seed and the winner of the contest will travel to top-seeded New Hampshire for a 1:00 p.m. match on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

Live stats for the game are available at http://www.bubearcats.com/sports/msoc/live/xlive.htm and a live video broadcast is available at http://bubearcats.tv.

UMBC sophomore forward Andrew Bulls (Millersville, Md./McDonogh) and junior midfielder Levi Houapeu (Germantown, Md./Watkins Mill) were named America East Conference Men’s Soccer Striker and Midfielder of the Year respectively in voting done by the league’s eight head coaches.

Both players were also unanimous America East First-Team selections after they each earned the league’s Player of the Week honor on two occasions during the campaign. Freshman defender Liam Paddock (Worcestershire, England) and first-year goalkeeper Phil Saunders (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall) were both selected to the league’s All-Rookie Team.

The Retrievers played at the same venue last Saturday, dropping a 4-0 decision to the Bearcats. UMBC outshot their hosts, 19-11 and had several excellent opportunities to tie the score at 1-all early in the second half before Binghamton scored in the 63^rd, 84^th and 88^th minutes.

Due to injuries and cautions, UMBC started six freshmen in the game against the Bearcats. The Retrievers do not have a senior on their active roster.

UMBC has now reached the America East post-season in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009. The Retrievers have yet to win a tournament game and have been eliminated in the semifinal round in all three previous attempts. UMBC is 0-2 vs. Binghamton in post-season play.