UMBC Upsets #19 West Virginia 3-1
Baltimore, Md.—UMBC men's soccer upset #19 West Virginia, 3-1 on Wednesday night at Retriever Soccer Park. Junior back Kyle Saunderson(Laurel, Md./Reservoir) scored twice to lead the Retrievers to victory. Freshman Matt Bailey (Stevensville, Md./Saints Peter and Paul) had two assists in the match as UMBC improves to 3-0 at home and 4-1 on the year.
"That is a well coached team, one of the best in the country. We had one of our best halves this year, and we have a lot of confidence going into the next couple weeks," head coach Pete Caringi Jr. said after the match.
The Retrievers dominated play for a majority of the first half, coming close to a goal just two minutes in, as Colin Weyant (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall) had a shot go off the crossbar and out. The Retrievers outshot the Mountaineers (3-1-2) 12-2 in the opening half, finally breaking through in the 33rd minute.
Junior James Gielen (Edgewater, Md./DeMatha) found himself in front of the net after a corner kick from Bailey with the ball at his feet and calmly placed it home for his first collegiate goal.
Just seven minutes later, Saunderson headed home another corner from Bailey that went off the crossbar and down to give UMBC a 2-0 lead at the break.
West Virginia woke up in the second half, applying pressure to the Retriever back line, but each time the UMBC defense was up to the task. The Mountaineers broke through in the 72nd minute, as Albert Andres-Llop scored on a free kick from 20 yards out to cut the lead to 2-1.
However Saunderson responded two minutes later, as he headed home a free kick from Jon Bell (Silver Spring, Md./Richard Montgomery) to push UMBC ahead 3-1, winning by that score.
The Retrievers outshot the Mountaineers, 18-8, dominating the majority of play. Redshirt freshman Tomas Potts (Ellicott City, Md./River Hill) picked up his first collegiate victory, coming into the game after starting keeper Ciaran O'Loughlin (Birkenhead, England) left after an injury. O'Loughlin would return later in the match to finish out the game.
UMBC returns to the pitch on Saturday, Sept. 16 at George Washington. Kickoff with the Colonials is set for 2 p.m.
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