WILLIAMSBURG, VA. -- For the eighth time in the last 10 years, an America East men's soccer team will play in the second round of the NCAA College Cup when UMBC visits 12th-seeded William & Mary Sunday. The game, which will be played at Martin Family Stadium, starts at 5 p.m.
The Retrievers, who are unbeaten in their last seven games, earned a trip to the semifinals with a 2-1 win over 10th-ranked Princeton Thursday. America East Striker of the Year Levi Houapeu and first-team all-conference performer Andrew Bulls scored goals for UMBC, while goalkeeper Dan Louisignau made a season-high 10 saves. FULL RECAP
UMBC (12-4-3) will try to become the first America East squad to advance past the second round since 1996, and just the third overall. Hartford advanced to the College Cup quarterfinals in ‘96 and Vermont accomplished the feat in 1989.
The Retrievers earned a trip to the NCAA tournament with a shootout victory over New Hampshire in the America East title game on Nov. 13 after the two teams played to a 0-0 tie. Houapeu earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the America East Championship after becoming just the 11th player to score two goals in a conference tournament game. He also converted one of the Retrievers’ five penalty kicks in the decisive shootout. He was joined on the All-Championship squad by Andrew Bulls, John Paul Waraksa and Chris Williams.
William & Mary (15-3-2), the ninth-ranked team in the nation, earned a trip to the tournament and a first-round bye with a 4-0 over Hofstra in the CAA championship game last week.
UMBC features one of the nation’s top offenses, averaging a league-best 1.89 goals per game. Levi Houapeu, the America East Striker of the Year, ranks among the top scorers in the country with 34 points and 15 goals. Andrew Bulls, a first-team All-America East performer, ranks among national leaders with 15 assists.