UMBC

Christine Bacinski posted her first shutout in nearly three years last week against Sacred Heart.

BALTIMORE—Coming off its first victory of the season, the UMBC women’s soccer team (1-4-0) looks to keep the momentum going with two home games this weekend. The Retrievers will host Richmond (3-1-1) on Friday at 4 p.m. and N.C. State (5-0) on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games will be played at UMBC Soccer Stadium.

Friday Night Lights: Sophomore back Morgan Warrington (Magnolia, Del./St. Thomas Moore Prep) scored a breakaway goal with 16 minutes remaining to propel the Retrievers to their first victory of the season, 1-0, over Sacred Heart last Friday under the lights of UMBC Stadium. Senior goalie Christine Bacinski (Hampstead, Md./Mount de Sales) tallied six saves in the shutout. The Retrievers took a season-high nine shots against the Pioneers.

Spider Specks: Richmond (3-1-1) is ranked 11th in the Mid-Atlantic region by SoccerBuzz Magazine. After winning their first three games of the season, the Spiders lost to the College of Charleston, 3-0, and tied Davidson, 1-1, at last weekend’s Davidson Tournament. Midfielder Kelsey Rdzanek and forward Emily Dale lead the team with two goals and four points apiece, while defender Sarah Hilt also has four points on a goal and two assists. Goalie Andrea Young has posted a 1.15 goals-against average and a .700 save percentage, allowing six goals and making 14 saves in 470 minutes of action. Richmond was picked to finish sixth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll.

Last Time vs. Richmond: Last September in Richmond, an early goal by UMBC freshman forward Ashley Singer (Baltimore, Md./Kenwood) in the 13th minute was closely followed by a tally by Spider forward Jen Ruhe less than 10 minutes later, as the teams played to a 1-1 tie. UMBC goalie Catie Bukowski (Odenton, Md./Arundel/South Carolina) posted seven saves in the game.

UMBC vs. Richmond All-Time: UMBC leads the all-time series against Richmond, 1-0-1. Before last season, the teams’ only meeting occurred in 1996, a 3-2 overtime victory for the host Retrievers.

’Pack Points: N.C. State is 5-0-0 for the first time since 1991 and is ranked 10th in the Southeast region by SoccerBuzz Magazine. The Wolfpack is coming off a 3-2 victory over Stetson at the N.C. State/Residence Inn North Soccer Tournament and will face Campbell at home on Friday before heading north to Baltimore. Forward Lindsey Vera leads the team with five goals and 12 points on the season, and N.C. State has outscored its opponents, 12-3, in its first five games. Goalies Kim Kern and Rachel Barnette have split time in the net this season, with Kern allowing no goals and making 15 saves in 276 minutes of action and Barnette allowing three goals and stopping three shots in 180 minutes.

Last Time vs. N.C. State: In the first-ever meeting between the two schools, the Wolfpack came away with a 3-1 victory over the Retrievers last September in Raleigh, N.C. Warrington scored UMBC’s only goal of the game in the 83rd minute.

Goose Eggs: Bacinski posted her third career shutout and first since September 9, 2005, in the 1-0 victory over Sacred Heart on Friday. It was the first UMBC shutout since Sept. 12, 2007, against Howard, and the first solo shutout for a Retriever keeper since Bukowski blanked Albany on Oct. 9, 2005.

America East Ranks: Bacinski is tied for seventh in the America East with 18 saves on the season. She and freshman Mo Van Vlerah (Boyds, Md./Northwest) are tied for fifth in the conference with six saves per game each.