UMBC

Erin Johnson returned to the Retriever lineup last week and made several key defensive plays.

BALTIMORE—The UMBC women’s soccer team (1-4-1) looks to avenge last year’s loss to George Mason (3-2-1) on Wednesday afternoon, as the Retrievers host the Patriots at 4 p.m. at UMBC Soccer Stadium.

Last Time Out: The Retrievers lost a late-game lead to Delaware last Wednesday when the Blue Hens tallied two goals in less than two minutes. UMBC dominated first-half play but failed to capitalize on two very good opportunities. An early second-half goal by freshman forward Amy Savage (Ottawa, Ontario/Sir Wilfrid Laurier) put the Retrievers on the board first, but the team could not hold off Delaware’s offensive surge late in the game. Sophomore forward Sarah Kopytko (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) was credited with an assist on Savage’s goal, while freshman goalie Lauren Kadet (Oakville, Ontario/Sir Thomas Aquinas) made five saves.

On the Patriots: George Mason is 3-2-1 on the season after a 7-0 victory over VMI last Wednesday. Senior midfielder Omolyn Davis, the reigning Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week, was named to the Hermann Award Watch List, as well as the preseason All-CAA Team. She leads her team with four goals and four assists for a CAA-best 12 points on the season. The Patriots’ offense is well-distributed, as seven different players have accounted for the team’s 12 goals. Goalie Alex Bodenschatz has seen the majority of the minutes between the pipes for George Mason and has posted a 1.07 goals-against average and a .762 save percentage.

Inside the Series: UMBC is in search of its first win against George Mason in the teams’ third all-time meeting. Last season, the Patriots outshot the Retrievers, 34-3, in a 4-0 victory in Fairfax, Va. The only other previous matchup between the two teams occurred in 1993, a 2-1 win for the host Patriots. This is the first time the squads will meet in Baltimore.

Retrievers Honored: Savage was named America East Rookie of the Week on Monday after scoring her first career goal against the Blue Hens last week. She is UMBC’s first women’s soccer rookie of the week since Danielle Kell on Sept. 28, 2008. In addition, this marks the first time since 2007 that two Retrievers have been honored with America East weekly women’s soccer awards in the same year, as senior midfielder Sandra Vacarino (Mantua, N.J./Clearview Regional) was tabbed the conference’s Player of the Week on Aug. 23 after scoring a league-high three points during the first week of the season. She was UMBC’s first women’s soccer player of the week since Jessica Young earned the honor on Sept. 11, 2006, and she is just the fourth Retriever to win the award in UMBC’s eight seasons in the America East.

Saving the Day: Kadet has been stellar in her first four collegiate games, as she leads the America East with 7.4 saves per game – 1.69 more than any other player in the conference – and she ranks second in saves (37) and third in save percentage (.784) and GAA (1.53) in 470 minutes of action. Kadet recorded 11 saves in her debut at Drexel on Aug. 22, the most by a Retriever rookie since Megan Smart stopped 12 shots against Navy on Sept. 3, 1997. After not playing in the season opener, she has tallied ever minute since.

Spreading the Wealth: UMBC’s six goals this season have been scored by six different players: Vacarino, Kopytko, Savage, senior back Christine Sadowski (Baltimore, Md./Kenwood), junior midfielder LeAnne Edgar (Mechanicsville, Md./Chopticon) and freshman midfielder Shannon McGuinness (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow).

Vacarino Vanquishes: UMBC’s active career scoring leader with seven goals and 18 points, Vacarino has tallied five goals and three assists in her last 13 games dating to Oct. 4, 2009, after registering just two scores and one assist over her first 44 collegiate contests.

Freshman Connection: Three rookies teamed up for UMBC’s fourth goal against Delaware State in the season opener, as midfielder Nicole Clark (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) sent a corner kick from the left side, which midfielder Jessy Brown (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage) headed to McGuinness, who knocked it in from just in front of the goal. In all, four freshmen have recorded points for the Retrievers in 2010, as Savage leads UMBC with four points on a goal and two assists. She is tied for the league lead in helpers.

First Time for Everything: McGuinness and Edgar both scored their first career goals against Delaware State, while Kopytko’s tally at Campbell and Savage’s against Delaware were the first of their careers.

Dawg Bites: UMBC’s win over Delaware State on Aug. 20 was the team’s first in a season since defeating Howard, 3-0, in 1998… All four goals against the Hornets occurred in the first half, the most the Retrievers have scored in a period since Sept. 22, 2002, when they tallied a school-record seven times in the opening stanza, also against Delaware State… Junior goalie Mo Van Vlerah’s (Germantown, Md./Northwest) 147 career saves are tied for sixth all-time at UMBC… Sophomore forward Rachel McKee (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron) leads the Retrievers with 10 shots on the season… Sadowski, Vacarino and Edgar were named team captains for the 2010 season.

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