Women’s Soccer Takes on Delaware State, Vermont This Weekend
10/1/2009
Junior Megan McDonald |
BALTIMORE—The UMBC women’s soccer team (0-8-1, 0-1-0 AE) looks to bounce back this weekend with a pair of games. The Retrievers travel to Delaware State (1-8-0) on Friday for their final non-conference game of the season at 7 p.m., then return home to face America East rival Vermont (0-7-3, 0-0-2 AE) at 1 p.m. at UMBC Soccer Stadium.
Last Time Out: UMBC and Penn battled to a scoreless tie at halftime, but the Quakers took over in the second stanza, outshooting the Retrievers, 20-1, and scoring three second-half goals for the 3-0 final. UMBC sophomore goalie Mo Van Vlerah (Ijamsville, Md./Northwest) finished the game with six saves.
On The Hornets: Delaware State is coming off a 3-0 loss to American on Wednesday, its fourth straight loss since defeating VMI, 1-0… Midfielder Chelsea Brown has scored the Hornets’ only goal of the season… Midfielder Kelsey Gibson leads Delaware State with 13 shots… Goalie Brittany Curtis has received the majority of playing time between the pipes, recording a 3.22 goals-against average and a .762 save percentage with 80 saves… The Hornets have been outscored, 31-1, in nine games.
The Series: UMBC has won both previous meetings with Delaware State, but the teams have not faced each other since 2004, a 5-0 victory for the host Retrievers.
On The Catamounts: Vermont is coming off back-to-back ties against Albany and Maine to open America East play, snapping its seven-game losing streak… The Catamounts boast significant scoring depth, as five players have scored a goal and seven have tallied at least one point… Midfielder Gabby Bonfigli leads Vermont with two goals and four points… Goalie Eliza Bradley has played every minute between the pipes for the Catamounts and boasts a 1.33 GAA and an .822 save percentage with 74 saves… She entered Thursday’s game against Maine as the league leader in saves per game (7.67)… Vermont has been outscored, 17-7, on the season.
The Series: UMBC trails Vermont in the series, 2-4-0, after last season’s 5-0 loss in Burlington. The Retrievers last defeated the Catamounts in 2007, a 2-1 victory at UMBC Soccer Stadium. As America East rivals, the teams have faced off in each of the last six seasons since UMBC joined the conference in 2003.
Saving the Day: As of Sept. 29, Van Vlerah ranked third in the America East with 66 saves and 7.33 saves per game. She stopped a career-high 14 shots at George Mason on Sept. 22, besting her 10-save effort in the previous game against George Washington. Van Vlerah has played every minute between the pipes for the Retrievers.
Extra, Extra: The Retrievers’ double-overtime tie with George Washington on Sept. 18 was their first overtime game since Oct. 7, 2007, at Maine, and their first tie since Sept. 21, 2007, at Sacred Heart. With last Thursday’s overtime loss to VMI, UMBC has now played in two games of more than 90 minutes after not playing one for nearly two years.
Underclassmen on Top: With freshman midfielder Katie Gitlin’s (Owings, Md./Northern) goal against George Washington, 26 of UMBC’s 29 goals since 2007 have been scored by underclassmen, including 18 by freshmen.
Up Next: After facing Delaware State on Friday, the Retrievers play seven straight America East Conference matches to round out the season. Following Sunday’s game against Vermont, UMBC will travel to Stony Brook (2-7-1, 1-0-0 AE) on Thursday, Oct. 8, for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The 2008 America East runners-up, the Seawolves were picked to finish second in the preseason coaches’ poll.
Follow the Retrievers: UMBC fans can now keep up with their favorite teams in a number of new ways, as UMBC Athletics is now on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.
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