Week 3 Men's Soccer Release
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Behind the offense of junior Levi Houapeu (Germantown, Md./Watkins Mill) and the goalkeeping of freshman Phil Saunders (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall), UMBC became the first men's soccer team in the nation to start 7-0-0 and is one of just four perfect teams in the country. As a result, the teammates has been named America East Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively for the period ending Sept. 20.
Houapeu, a forward, scored three times in UMBC’s 3-0 win over Drexel on Saturday to help the Retrievers achieve its best start ever as a Division I program. The hat trick was the first for any America East player since Sept. 21, 2008 and first for a Retriever in three years.
Named to the College Soccer News' Team of the Week, Houapeu ranks among the top scorers in the nation with 21 points on eight goals and six assists.
Saunders, who recorded shutouts against Towson and Drexel last week, made five stops against the Tigers Wednesday, including a game-saving save on a header from short range with five minutes left. A freshman keeper, Saunders followed up with four saves against Drexel to pick up his third career shutout and lower his goals-against average to 0.44, which are both second-best in the conference.
Team Notebooks:
Albany (0-6-1, 0-0-0 America East) lost both of its matches this past week and placed fourth at the Penn Soccer Classic … Playing its third straight match against a reigning conference champion, the Great Danes dropped a 3-0 decision to Pennsylvania (Ivy League) on Friday, Sept. 18 … The squad also fell to Temple by a 2-0 score on Sunday, Sept. 20 … Adrian Foncette (Arima, Trinidad/Fatima) made four saves in each of the losses … The sophomore, who has played every minute in net this season, has a .778 save percentage and a 1.91 goals against average … After ranking fifth in the nation in scoring in 2008, UAlbany is only averaging 0.57 goals per game this year … Bo Jelovac (Belgrade, Serbia/Sveti Sava School) leads the Great Danes in scoring with two goals and one assist for five points … Ian Peach (South Hempstead, N.Y./South Side) and David Hawksworth (Sheffield, England/All Saints Catholic) have also scored goals … The Great Danes, who have had three of their seven matches decided in overtime, continue their four-game road trip when they visit crosstown-rival Siena on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 3 p.m. … Shaun Kane (Stirlingshire, Scotland/St. Modans) netted a hat trick in the Great Danes’ 3-0 victory over the Saints last season.
Binghamton (3-3-0, 0-0-0 America East) took part in the Nike/TLC Plumbing & Utilities Invitational this past weekend, which was hosted by the University of New Mexico. Senior goalkeeper Jason Stenta (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley) and junior forward Scott Zobre (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Poughkeepsie) were named to the all-tournament team. Stenta recorded his 33rd career shutout in Binghamton’s 1-0 win over UC-Davis on Sunday. Zobre, meanwhile, netted his first goal of the season and the fifth of his career in that same game. Zobre now has a pair of game-winning goals during his career ... junior midfielder Yusuf Yusuf (Chestnut Ridge, N.Y./Ramapo) scored his first goal since 2007 in Binghamton’s game against Gonzaga on Friday night. He has been battling injuries during his career but his key goal against the Zags sent the game into overtime ... Binghamton’s trip to New Mexico marked the first time in its Division I era that it has played in the Mountain Time Zone ... senior back Kyle Kucharski (Maine, N.Y./Maine-Endwell) now leads the team with four assists. He is also tied for the team lead with four total points.
Boston University (4-2-1, 0-0-0 America East) split its two non-conference games this past weekend, falling at home to Boston College, 1-0, and then bouncing back quickly with a 1-0 victory at Columbia … Hrafn Davidsson (Reykjavik, Iceland/University of Iceland) recorded three saves against the Eagles and then posted six against the Lions for his fourth shutout of the year and his 18th career … A season-high 1,907 fans attended Friday night’s game between BC and the Terriers, which was also broadcasted live by the Fox Soccer Channel … The Eagles scored the lone goal in the 57th minute and held on for the victory … The Terriers led in shot attempts, 13-10 … In New York, Tom Strackhouse’s (Flemington, N.J./Pingry School) cross was deflected by a Columbia defender into the goal in the 26th minute … The meeting was the second ever between the two schools and first since 1984 … Having also faced Harvard, the Terriers have one more Ivy League opponent remaining in Brown … They will next host Holy Cross on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. before visiting Rhode Island on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m.
Hartford (3-2-1 overall, 0-0-0 America East) continued its challenging non-conference schedule with two games and came away with a split, defeating Rhode Island 2-1 on Wednesday before coming up short against Hartwick at home by a 1-0 final … Senior Vernon Perinchief (Southampton, Bermuda/South Kent) notched back-to-back goals to lift the Hawks to a 2-1 victory over the Rhode Island Rams on Wednesday … Perinchief picked up the first of two goals just five minutes after kick-off, and netted what proved to be the game-winner in the 14th minute … Sophomore Pat Boucher (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell) and rookie James Stamopoulos (Mississauga, Ontario/Port Credit Secondary) earned their first points of 2009, notching assists on Perinchief’s goals … Senior keeper Nenad Cudic (Novi Sad, Serbia/Fourth Grammar School/Auburn University at Montgomery) made just one save en route to his third victory of 2009 … In celebration of Saturday’s Portuguese Soccer Festival, the University of Hartford welcomed Portuguese National Football Team Coach Carlos Quieroz and Antonio Simoes, legendary Portuguese soccer player, to Al-Marzook Field … The Hawks packed a record-breaking crowd of 1,498 into the stands of Alumni Stadium … The Hawks went on to suffer a 1-0 setback against Hartwick College, despite outshooting the Hartwick Hawks 13-6 … Neither team saw the scoreboard light up in the first half and battled for 25 more minutes of scoreless soccer in the second, until Hartwick sophomore Dan Summers notched the game-winning goal at 69:56 … Hartford had several opportunities to put the first notch on the scoreboard against a team that ranks in the nation’s top-ten in save percentage and goals-against-average, but could not get anything past Hartwick’s stingy defense and keeper Jeremy Vuolo … The Hawks continue their non-conference slate as they entertain Boston College on Tuesday, September 22 and travel to Temple for an afternoon match-up on Saturday, September 26.
UMBC (7-0-0, 0-0-0 America East) are the lone 7-0-0 team in the nation and are ranked 27th by College Soccer News… UMBC junior forward Levi Houapeu (Germantown, Md./Watkins Mill) recorded the Retrievers’ first three-goal game in three years, leading the Retrievers to a 3-0 win over Drexel before 1,045 fans at sun-drenched UMBC Soccer Stadium… The team’s seven wins to start a season breaks the school Division I record of the 1999 team, which played Fairleigh Dickinson to a 1-1 draw in the seventh game of the season and were 6-0-1 after seven games. That squad went on to the nation’s best record of 19-1-2… Houapeu, who was held off the scoreboard for the first time this season in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Towson, struck quickly in the ninth minute of play and added goals in the 25th and 77th mintues… Recorded UMBC’s first three-goal game since Kevin Mezzadra scored three times in a home win over Howard on Sept. 20, 2006… Houapeu was named to College Soccer News’ Team of the Week (Sept. 20)… The win was UMBC’s first-ever over Drexel, which leads the all-time series, 4-1-1… Sophomore forward Andrew Bulls (Millersville, Md./McDonogh) did not score a goal for the first time this season, but his assist on Houapeu’s final goal kept his scoring streak alive at seven…Freshman goalkeeper Phil Saunders (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall) posted back-to-back shutouts in wins over CAA foes Towson and Drexel, UMBC’s first consecutive shutouts since Oct. 20 (2-0 over Albany) and Oct. 23 (4-0 at Howard) since 2008… Saunders has three shutouts on the season and has lowered his goals against average to 0.44… He was brilliant down the stretch in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Towson, making a pair of point blank saves in the closing moments… Bulls scored his ninth goal of the season in the win over the Tigers… He was fouled 23 yards from the cage and his ensuing free kick went to the right of the four-man wall and just inside the right post, bouncing out of the reach of Towson netminder John Steele… Bulls scored goals in UMBC’s first six games and his nine goals in six games was the fastest to get to that plateau in UMBC’s Division I history… UMBC has outscored its opponents, 23-4, through seven games this season.
New Hampshire (2-3-1, 0-0-0 America East) took advantage of an early two-goal lead as they notched their second win of the season over Colgate 2-1 on Saturday … Joe Annese (Attleboro, Mass./Attleboro) provided the deciding goal late in the first half of play as he scored his first collegiate goal on a penalty kick to edge the Raiders … Colin O’ Donnell (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) held the Raiders at bay as he compiled five saves in the win … Sean Coleman (Stratham, N.H.) ignited the Wildcats in the early going as he tracked down a deflected loose ball by the left post while beating a Colgate defender before knocking the ball into the right side of the net … In total, the Wildcats notched 16 shots in the win, including nine in the first half of play … Chris Banks (Westborough, Mass./Westborough) and Jordan Thomas (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) led the Wildcats in shots, with four apiece … Marcus Barr (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) also chipped in with two shots of his own … Brad Hilton (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack), Gustav Nilsson (Pixbo, Sweden/Katrinelundsgymnasiet, BÃ¥tsmanskolan) and Josh Bronner (Belchertown, Mass./Belchertown) all finished with one shot in the game … the Wildcats return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 23 to take on Harvard University at home at 4 p.m.
Stony Brook (1-6-1, 0-0-0 America East) lost all three of its games last week… The Seawolves fell to Long Island, 2-1, in overtime on Wednesday… Freshman Berian Gobeil (Montreal, Quebec/Champlain College-Saint Lambert) scored on a penalty kick with just 1:30 left to go in regulation… Stony Brook traveled to the ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic hosted by the University of Evansville this past weekend…. It fell to Eastern Illinois, 2-1, in the opening game of the tournament… Freshman Stefan Manz (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Prep) made three saves in goal for the Seawolves… In the final game of the tournament, Stony Brook fell to Evansville, 5-3… Freshman Leonardo Fernandes (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) had two goals for the Seawolves and sophomore Tom Butler (Birmingham, England/Bromsgrove School) added another on a penalty kick… Fernandes and Gobeil were named to the all-tournament team… the three goals given up by Evansville were the most since allowing four to North Carolina in the opening weekend of the season… Stony Brook finishes non-conference play with Quinnipiac on Wednesday and Adelphi on Saturday.
Vermont (0-4-3, 0-0-0 America East) traveled to Memphis for the Memphis Classic this weekend finishing third going 0-1-1 in the tournament … On Friday, Vermont held Memphis scoreless … It was the first time this year Tom Crtiz (Enfield, Conn.) and the Catamounts recorded a shutout … Freshman Jordan Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) led the way with three shots … On Sunday UVM lost to UAB 1-0 … The goal came in the 84th minute off a direct kick … It is the fourth one-goal loss for the Catamounts this year … Vermont will travel to Quinnipiac on Saturday, Sept. 26 for a 1 p.m. start.