Bucknell University Athletics
Tuesday's Bucknell-UMBC Men's Soccer Game to be Televised in Baltimore Area
10/3/2011 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 3, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Coming off a couple of difficult Patriot League losses, the Bucknell men's soccer team steps outside of league play on Tuesday night to face UMBC at Retriever Soccer Park at 7 p.m. Bucknell's first-ever game at UMBC will be televised in the Baltimore area on WMAR-TV's Live Well Network, which can be seen locally over the air at channel 2.2, Comcast 204 and Verizon 463.
The Bison are now 5-5 on the season after Saturday's 2-1 home loss to American. Bucknell scored first in that one, but the Eagles rallied with two late goals to steal the win in a rematch of the 2009 and 2010 Patriot League championship games, both won by the Bison. That game came on the heels of a 1-0 double-overtime loss to Lehigh, despite a 25-15 shot advantage.
Strangely, Bucknell has struggled at home this season. The two-time defending Patriot League champs are now 2-3 at home, but they are 3-1 on the road. Their road ledger includes a good 2-0 win over No. 24 Monmouth as well as wins over Drexel and Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia, and the only road loss so far is a close 2-1 setback at No. 17 Notre Dame.
The 1-0 loss to Lehigh marked a rare shutout for the Bison. It is their only blanking of the season, and it was their first at home since 2008, a span of 25 games. Dating back to 2007, Bucknell has scored at least one goal in 83 of its last 88 contests.
For that run to continue, Bucknell coach Brendan Nash would like to get better production from the run of play. The Bison have been deadly this season on set pieces, with nine of their 15 goals coming from free kicks, corner kicks and long throw-ins into the box.
Defender Mayowa Alli, a Lanham, Md., native, has been the primary target, with a team and Patriot League-high six goals and 14 points. Alli, the starting left back, is a two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week this season. The reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year has a pair of two-goal games, one of them coming in the 2-0 win at Monmouth.
Forward Brendan Burgdorf, the 2010 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and a Hermann Trophy Watch List member, has goals this season against Indiana and Notre Dame, but he is looking to snap a five-game scoreless drought. Center midfielder Luke Joyner also has two goals on the season.
Bucknell has three players from the Baltimore area returning home to play against UMBC. Two of them -- senior goalkeeper Tommy Caso and sophomore midfielder Joe Meyer -- are starters who are both products of McDonogh High School and the powerful Baltimore Casa Mia Bays Club.
Meyer has started all 10 games at outside midfield and leads the team with three assists. Caso has been the starting keeper in nine of the 10 games and has 26 saves with 11 goals against. He has three shutouts this season and 17 in his career, fifth-most in Bucknell history.
Sophomore Aidan Hoolachan, a native of Ellicott City and a graduate of Mount Hebron High School, also returns as a reserve midfielder.
Bucknell and UMBC met for the very first time last season at Emmitt Field, and the Retrievers came away with a 2-1 win despite being outshot 17-6. Chris Williams and Pete Caringi staked UMBC to a 2-0 lead before Tommy McCabe drew Bucknell within one with a penalty kick in the 84th minute. The Bison had some dangerous chances late but could not get another one past Dan Louisignau.
Typically a high-scoring team, UMBC comes into Tuesday's game with a 4-3-2 record. Last time out, the Retrievers rallied to beat Albany 2-1, despite conceding the game's opening goal for the sixth straight outing. The dangerous Andrew Bulls put all 10 of his shots on goal and scored the game-winner in the 77th minute. That made him the first player in school history with 30 goals and 30 assists in a career.
Bulls has two goals and two assists this season, making him the team's third-leading scorer. Caringi leads the way with nine points on three goals and three assists, while Sean Rothe has three goals and one assist for seven points.
UMBC has outscored foes 12-11 on the season. Louisignau has played every minute in goal and has 50 saves for an .820 save percentage along with three shutouts. UMBC games are typically uneventful in the first half, as the Retrievers have scored just once and conceded just once in the opening 45 minutes. But after halftime UMBC has 11 goals and its opponents 10.
Bucknell and UMBC have played one common opponent thus far. While Bucknell defeated La Salle 2-1, the Retrievers lost to the Explorers by the same score. UMBC has played one other Patriot League team, a 1-1 home draw with Navy.
UMBC turned some heads back on Sept. 13, when it hosted No. 1 Maryland before a record crowd of over 2,500 fans. The Retrievers dropped a wild 4-3 overtime decision to the Terps, despite rallying late from a 3-1 deficit.
Following the UMBC game, Bucknell returns to the state of Maryland on Saturday night to take on Navy in a key Patriot League matchup. The contest starts at 8 p.m. in Annapolis.
