UMBC women’s soccer opens 2015 slate at Navy on Friday
BALTIMORE (Via UMBC) – UMBC women’s soccer opens its 28th season of action and the 2015 slate on Friday, Aug. 21 when it travels to Navy for a 7 p.m. matchup at Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. All the live action will be available on PatriotLeague.TV.
Scouting the Retrievers
-UMBC enters its fourth season under head coach Leslie Wray, but faces a new challenge with just four starters returning from last season’s squad. Three of the four returning starters are America East All-Conference selections from a year ago in Amira Walcott (Beltsville, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt), Amanda Dailey (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township) and Jen Nance (Millersville, Md./Severna Park).
-The Retrievers have posted a 25-10-5 record over the last two seasons, but will have to build off of that following the departure of a very influential graduating class, including their top-two goal scorers from 2014 in America East Midfielder of the Year Jessy Brown and classmate Lilly Rydon. The Retrievers will welcome back 2013 America East Fans’ Choice Player of the Year and an All-Conference First Team honoree in Alexa Quaranta (Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall), who missed last season due to injury.
-Nance returns in net for the Retrievers after a stellar junior campaign. The senior posted a new program single-season record in shutouts (nine) in 2014 and helped UMBC to post its lowest goal allowance in program history (12). Nance led the league in shutouts, goal against average (0.61) and save percentage (.882).
-After tying for second in the conference last season, the Retrievers, who welcome eight newcomers to their roster in 2015, were picked to finish in third in the annual America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Scouting the Mids
-Navy, who posted a 12-4-5 record in 2014 and finished second in the league, earned a pair of first-place votes and was picked to finish third in the Patriot League preseason poll. Additionally, the Mids had a pair of players named to the All-Patriot League Team in senior back Lexi Ricketts and sophomore midfielder Meghan Hegarty.
-Head coach Carin Gabarra enters her 23rd year at the helm of the Mids, but also enters the year with a young roster having lost six starters to graduation, including 50 percent of the team’s scoring from a season ago. Navy returns four All-Conference honorees in Hegarty, Ricketts, forward Clare MacAdam and goalkeeper Dayton Wetherby.
Inside the Series
-Navy holds a 7-4-1 advantage in the all-time series, but the Retrievers are coming off a 1-0 season-opening victory against the Mids last season, marking UMBC’s first win against Navy since Sept. 4, 1994.
