BALTIMORE -- Second-seeded UMBC and fifth-seeded New Hampshire will play for the
men’s soccer title for the second time in three years at UMBC's Retriever Soccer Park
Saturday at 7 p.m. The title game appearance is UMBC’s third in the last four
years and UNH’s second in the last three.
Tickets for the game can be purchased in advance through UMBC's ticket office or at the gate on Saturday. Prices are $8 for adults, $5 for youth and $2 for students of America East institutions with proper ID. Tickets can be
obtained online or by calling the UMBC box office at 410-455-2205 from 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Fans
who can't be in attendance can watch the game for free at
AmericaEast.com. America East will once again partner with Pack Network
to produce a high-defintion telecast of the game. Coverage begins at
6:55 p.m. Saturday. WATCH LIVE
Championship Primer
•
Second-seeded UMBC and fifth-seeded New Hampshire will play for the
men’s soccer title for the second time in three years in Baltimore
Saturday. The title game appearance is UMBC’s third in the last four
years and UNH’s second in the last three.
• Both teams come into the
title game playing their best soccer of the season. UMBC has won six in
a row and outscored opponents 18-3 during that stretch. UNH is unbeaten
in three straight games and has not allowed a goal in over 298 minutes.
• This is the fourth straight year the second and fifth seeds have
met for the league crown. The No. 2 seed has won each of the previous
three meetings.
• UMBC is 4-5-2 all-time in America East
Championship play, including 4-2-1 since 2009. The Retrievers, who are
making their third-ever championship game appearance, captured their
lone league title in 2010.
• UNH is 6-10-5 all-tiime in tournament
play, including 3-0-2 since 2010. The Wildcats have recorded shutouts in
their last five championship games, a tournament record. UNH is 0-2-1
all-time in title games, falling in 1993 and 1994 and tying UMBC in 2010
before falling penalty kicks.
• The two teams have met twice
previously in the championship. UMBC upset top-seeded UNH, 2-1, in the
2009 semifinals and the two teams also met in the 2010 title game, which
ended in a scoreless tie before the Retrievers captured the conference
crown in penalty kicks, 5-4.
• UMBC and UNH played to a 1-1 tie
during the regular season on Oct. 6. Alex Hussein (‘23) tallied the
Wildcats’ goal while Milo Kapor (‘77) scored for the Retrievers.
•
Both teams play stellar defense. The Retrievers lead the conference in
goals allowed (0.94 per game) while the Wildcats are third (1.17 gapg).
Both goalkeepers rank among league leaders as UMBC’s Phil Saunders is
second in GAA (0.85) and UNH’s Travis Worra is third (0.86) and the duo
is tied for the league lead with seven shutouts apiece.
• UMBC,
America East’s top scoring team (1.84 gpg), features the league’s
Striker in Pete Caringi III, who leads the conference’s top scoring
offense (1.89 gpg). Nine of his 21 of his points came in America East
games, both the fifth-most in league history and most by any player
since 2003 and 2001, respectively.
• The winner will advance to the
NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship, where the America East champion has
moved onto the second round in eight of the last 11 years.