CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- For the second consecutive week, UMBC's Andrew Bulls (Millersville, Md./McDonogh) has earned America East Player of the Week honors in men's soccer, while University of Vermont's D.J. Edler (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) earned his first career Rookie of the Week accolades. The awards for the week ending Sept. 13 were announced Monday, Sept. 14.
Bulls, who was also named NSCAA and College Soccer News top player last week, continued his torrid start to the season with three more goals to help the Retrievers improve to 5-0-0 for the first time since 1999. Named the Most Valuable Player at UMBC’s Adidas Kick Off Classic, Bulls scored twice in a 3-1 win over St. Francis (Pa.) Thursday and added his league-leading eighth goal of the season in a 2-1 victory over Mount St. Mary’s on Sunday. A sophomore forward who also took home top weekly honors last week, Bulls has already surpassed his 2008 scoring totals with 20 points on eight goals and four assists and ranks among national leaders in those categories.
Edler (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) accounted for all of Vermont’s scoring last week with two tallies in a pair of ties at the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Classic. A freshman forward, Edler found the back of the net in the first six minutes of each game, 1-1 draws against Portland and UMass, Friday and Sunday, respectively. He has now scored in each of his last three games and is tied for fourth among league leaders with three goals on the season.
America East teams improved to 2-0-1 against ranked teams thus far in 2009... No. 14 Boston University defeated No. 4 St. John’s 1-0 to avenge a pair of one-goal losses from last season, including a 1-0 loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament... The Terriers’ win came just two days after Stony Brook played the Red Storm to a 1-1 draw... The league also improved to 5-3-2 against BCS conference schools, including 4-2-1 against the Big East.
Team Notebooks:
Albany (0-4-1, 0-0-0 America East) dropped both of its home matches at Varsity Field this past week against a pair of squads which competed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament … The Great Danes suffered a 3-1 setback against Colgate on Sept. 11, before dropping a 2-1 overtime decision to Fairfield two days later … Adrian Foncette (Arima, Trinidad/Fatima) broke a Division I program record by making 16 saves against Colgate … The previous standard of 14 was set by Bouna Coundoul, who is currently a goalkeeper for the Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls, on Sept. 3, 2003 against Syracuse … The Colgate match was UAlbany’s first match of the season which was decided by multiple goals … Ian Peach (South Hempstead, N.Y./South Side) and Bo Jelovac (Belgrade, Serbia/Sveti Sava School) were the goal scorers for the Great Danes last week, while Claudio Dantas (Orlando, Fla./Crystal Lake/Jefferson College) and Anthony DeSalvo (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) added the helpers … UAlbany has had three of its five matches decided in overtime, including one in double overtime … The Great Danes begin a four-game road trip next weekend at the Penn Soccer Classic, which will be co-hosted by Pennsylvania and Temple … UAlbany will open up tournament play versus the Quakers on Friday, Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. in what will be the squad’s third straight match against a reigning conference champion … UAlbany faces Temple on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 1 p.m.
Binghamton (2-2-0, 0-0-0 America East) heads to the Mountain Time Zone for the first time in its NCAA Division I history when it takes part in the New Mexico Tournament this coming weekend. The Bearcats have competed outside of the Eastern Time Zone twice during their Division I era. Last season, they took part at the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Tournament. In 2003, Binghamton played at St. Louis University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament … sophomore midfielder Ryan Walter and freshman forward Jake Keegan were named to the All-Tournament team this past weekend at the Lafayette Soccer Classic. Walter, who has started in all 25 games of his career, was named to the America East All-Rookie Team last season. Keegan, meanwhile, netted his first career goal in Binghamton’s game against Villanova on Sept. 11 … Senior goalkeeper Jason Stenta made seven saves this past weekend at the Lafayette Soccer Classic. In the process, he extended his school record to 238 career saves … Binghamton was one of four teams ranked in the Top 10 in the Sept. 8 NSCAA/adidas Northeast Regional Poll.
Boston University (3-1-1, 0-0-0 America East) continued its difficult non-conference schedule with two games this past weekend and came away with a split, rebounding from a hard-fought 1-0 decision at Harvard on Friday with a 1-0 victory at home on Sunday against St. John’s … Ranked No. 1 in the nation by College Soccer News, St. John’s represented the first top-ranked program that the Terriers had defeated since winning at ISAA preseason poll No. 1 Virginia, 3-2, in 1994 … The Crimson scored a 44th minute goal against BU and withstood 16 shot attempts from the Terriers in the second half to preserve the shutout victory … Ben Berube (Somerset, Mass./Somerset) led BU in shots with five with all of them coming in the second stanza … Stephen Knox (Arima, Trinidad/Fatima College H.S.) scored his first career game winner against the Red Storm in the 34th minute off a pass from Aaron O’Neal (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) … Goalie Hrafn Davidsson (Reykjavik, Iceland/University of Iceland) recorded two saves for his third shutout of the season, while Colin Henry (Norwell, Mass./Norwell) saved one for the Terriers by heading away a ball with an empty net to preserve the victory … Terriers are now 3-0 against Big East opponents and will next host Boston College on Friday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. … Fox Soccer Channel will televise the game nationally.
Hartford (2-1-1, 0-0-0 America East) traveled to University Park, Pa. for a pair of games versus Big Ten opponents Ohio State and Penn State at the Penn State Classic … The Hawks battled Ohio State on Friday to a 1-1 double overtime draw, and suffered their first loss of the season to the host-team Nittany Lions in double overtime by a 1-0 final on Sunday … Seniors Cedomir Tomcic (Novi Sad, Serbia/Mid-Continent University) and Ivan Guarin (Periera, Columbia/White Plains/Herkimer CC) were selected to the All-Tournament Team … Guarin and the Hawks were the first to strike against Ohio State, as the senior found the back of the net on a free-kick at the 41:40 mark, to give Hartford its only lead of the tournament … The score was Guarin’s second of the season, tying his total from the 2008 campaign … The Buckeyes notched the equalizer in the 67th minute … In the extra periods, the Hawks outshot the Buckeyes 8-1, but could not put the game-winning tally on the scoreboard … Hartford keeper Nenad Cudic (Novi Sad, Serbia/Fourth Grammar School/Auburn University at Montgomery) totaled six saves while allowing one goal – the first the Hawks have allowed in 2009 … Hartford dropped a 1-0 double overtime decision to the host team Penn State on Sunday … The Hawks’ defense held the Nittany Lions off the scoreboard for 107 minutes until Penn State rookie Frank Costiliota sank a penalty kick past Cudic … Cudic made 10 stops in goal, a season-high … The Hawks travel to Kingston, R.I. to face the University of Rhode Island on Wednesday, and return home to welcome the Hartwick Hawks on Saturday evening.
For the second consecutive year, UMBC (5-0-0, 0-0-0 America East) won both games in its adidas Kick-Off Classic, but placed second to Navy… The Mids also defeated Mount St. Mary’s and St. Francis and allowed only one goal, compared to two allowed by the Retrievers… Nevertheless, UMBC’s 5-0-0 start is its best since the 1999 season, when the Retrievers opened at 6-0-0 before a 1-1 tie vs. Fairleigh Dickinson… That 1999 team would not lose (19-1-2) until an NCAA First Round setback (4-3 in overtime) at top-ranked Duke… Junior forward Levi Houapeu (Germantown, Md./Watkins Mill) converted on a penalty kick in the 77th minute as UMBC (5-0-0) edged Mount St. Mary’s (1-3-0), 2-1, in the finale of the tournament… Sophomore forward Andrew Bulls (Millersville, Md./McDonogh) scored his eighth goal of the season in the first half and earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honors… Bulls has already matched his season total of a year ago with eight goals and has surpassed ’08 scoring totals with 20 points… He became the first player in school’s Division I history to score eight goals in the first five games of a season… Last week’s NSCAA Player of the Week posted his third consecutive two-goal game in the 3-1 win over St. Francis (PA)… UMBC has now won six straight games vs. Mount St. Mary’s and is unbeaten against their state rival in the last 11 contests (10-0-1)… The Retrievers lead the all-time series, 20-11-2… Houapeu, who also earned All-Tournament team honors, assisted on all three UMBC goals in the 3-1 win over St. Francis (Pa.)… It was UMBC’s first three-assist effort since Powell Cucchiella posted four in a 10-0 win over NJIT in the opener of the 2004 campaign… Houapeu has five goals and six assists on the campaign… The six helpers are the most in a single season for UMBC since Matt Watson amassed seven in 2005… A pair of UMBC defenders, junior Chris Williams (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) and sophomore Vince Savarese (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley), also were named to the All-Tournament team… Freshman forward Milo Kapor (Woodbridge, Ont./Emily Carr) scored his first collegiate goal (85’) in the win over the Red Flash, just 29 seconds after Bulls’ second goal of the game… The Retrievers play the middle game of a five-game homestand on Wednesday when they entertain Towson at 4:00 p.m.…. UMBC hosts Drexel on Saturday.
New Hampshire (1-3-1, 0-0-0 America East) went 0-1-1 at the 19th Annual Smith Barney Classic this past weekend … the Wildcats played 110 scoreless minutes with the University of Massachusetts in the opening game … New Hampshire outshot its opponent, 16-5, including eight shots in the first half of action ... Colin O’Donnell (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) made a stellar save to preserve the tie when the Minutemen had a penalty kick opportunity during the first period of play and was selected as the America East Man of the Match for the Wildcats … also in the first half, Alex Hussein (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) connected on a point-blank header, but the UMass keeper made the save ... Hussein, as well as Sean Coleman (Stratham, N.H./Exeter), Dylan George (Bangor, Maine/Bridgton Academy), Charlie Roche (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) and Jordan Thomas (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) all finished with two shots apiece in the game … Chris Banks (Westborough, Mass./Westborough) led the way for the Wildcats with three shots in the game … New Hampshire fell to Portland, 1-0, on a Pilot goal in the 65th minute of play … Brad Hilton (Merrimack, N.H.), Banks and George all posted a shot in the game for the Wildcats ... Josh Bronner (Belchertown, Mass./Belchertown) was named the America East Man of the Match for New Hampshire … the Wildcats will return home Saturday, Sept. 19 to take on Colgate University.
Stony Brook (1-3-1, 0-0-0 America East) went 0-1-1 against a pair of Big East schools last week… The Seawolves tied No. 4/3 St. John’s on Friday evening, 1-1… Freshman Leonardo Fernandes (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) scored on a penalty kick in the 18th minute to give the visitors a 1-0… Fernandes charged at a loose ball unable to be corralled by the keeper and was taken out in the box, setting up the PK… Freshman keeper Stefan Manz (Bronx, N.Y.) was sparkling in goal for the Stony Brook, make three terrific saves on definite goals… Despite being out shot, the Seawolves nearly won the game in the final minutes of double overtime but freshman Cristian Quevedo’s (Smithtown, N.Y./ (Smithtown West) shot went just wide right… Stony Brook nearly erased a three-goal lead by Seton Hall, but Andrew Welker’s hat trick in the first half proved to be the difference… Sophomore Wilber Bonilla (Brentwood, N.Y./Hartwick College) scored eight seconds before halftime to make a 3-1 game… Stony Brook hit either the post or crossbar three times in the second half… sophomore Tom Butler (Birmingham, England/Bromsgrove School) set up the second goal, making a run down the right side and serving it to freshman Raphael Abreu (New York, N.Y./Eleanor Roosevelt), who blasted it home to make it a 3-2 game… Stony Brook is on the road for four straight games beginning with Long Island on Wednesday afternoon and Eastern Illinois and Evansville at the Evansville Tournament on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
Vermont (0-3-2, 0-0-0 America East) hosted the 19th annual Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Nike Classic this weekend going 0-0-2 in it…On Friday they tied the University of Portland 1-1 … Freshman D.J. Edler (Atlanta, Ga.) was able to find the back of the net less than five minutes into the game … He was able to capitalize off of senior T.J. Gore’s (Macomb, Mich.) run down the field, when he took a shot that deflected to Edler… On Sunday the Catamounts tied UMass 1-1, behind another early Edler goal … This time in the sixth minute he received a cross from senior Marty Galvin (No. Weymouth, Mass.) and buried it to the back of the net … Senior goalie Tom Critz (Enfield, Conn.) stopped a Mark DeSantis penalty kick in the 14th minute to help preserve the tie…Vermont travels to Memphis this weekend for the Memphis Classic where they will take on host Memphis on Friday at 6:30 p.m. … On Sunday Vermont will take on Alabama-Birmingham at 12 noon.