A Visit To UMBC Soccer

The UMBC Mascot gets the crowd fired up before the UMBC/Loyola soccer game at Retriever Soccer Park. (Author Photo)

One of the Top 25 NCAA men’s soccer programs resides right here in Maryland. And we are not talking about the University of Maryland (although they are pretty close to that ranking also), but their sister campus UMBC.

The University of Maryland  – Baltimore County has had a fine tradition of soccer for quite a while now.

Coach Pete Caringi is in his 24th season as head coach. He earned the 2013 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Senior College Men’s Northeast Regional Coach of the Year honor after leading the team to a 16-1-3 record.

That year, UMBC won the America East regular season and tournament title and an NCAA automatic bid. UMBC lost to UConn in a penalty kick shootout after a double overtime draw to end their tourney run.

The 2014 season is starting a bit rough as they currently sit 3-2-2 after playing local squad Loyola to a 1-1 draw this last Saturday night.

UMBC did return 20 letter winners from that great 2013 team but are without Pete Caringi III and Kadeem Dacres, both of whom were All-Americans. Kay Banjo, Geaton Caltabiano, Michael Scott, Stephen Ho, Phil Breno, Mamadou Kansaye, Oumar Ballo and Jordan Becker are some of the 2014 players who are leading the way for UMBC.

The team’s home field is an interesting one. Retriever Soccer Park sits right near UMBC Stadium. The Bermuda grass facility, which opened in 1998, is one of the best fields in the area. But its 1500 seats are scattered between a bunch of metal stands located on the bottom and top of a hill where fans also sit. Still, the stadium is filled with knowledgeable soccer fans which gives a good atmosphere to see a game.

If you are a fan of soccer, a visit to UMBC and the Retriever Soccer Park is worth a visit.