WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - America East men's soccer champion UMBC (12-5-3) will battle Wake Forest (10-7-1) in the first round of the NCAA Men's Soccer tournament Thursday night in North Carolina. The Retrievers are seeking to advance to the second round for the fourth time in five years.
America East teams are 15-24-9 all-time in the NCAA tournament and have advanced to the second round in 10 of the last 13 years.
UMBC scored a pair of unanswered goals in the second half to down second-seeded Hartford, 2-1, in the conference's championship game Nov. 15 at Retriever Soccer Park. The title was UMBC's third in a row as it became the first team to win three-straight crowns since Boston University won five in a row from 1993-97.
Redshirt freshman Gregg Hauck earned the championship’s Most Outstanding Player trophy after tallying the game-winning goal in the 76th minute, his second score of the tournament.