Longtime UMBC men’s soccer coach Pete Caringi regularly refers to Retriever Soccer Park as “one of the best kept secrets on campus.” With all due respect to Caringi, it looks like the secret is out.

This past summer, NCAA.com named Retriever Soccer Park among the nine best stadiums in the country to watch an intercollegiate soccer game, which put UMBC on a list with such schools as Penn State, Texas A&M and University of South Carolina.

Retriever Soccer Park features a beautiful Bermuda grass playing surface and lights for night games, but those are just a couple reasons why the venue is special.

“We play at other schools, a lot of which have really nice stadiums, but the fans are far away from the field. Here, you’re so close to the action that you need to be careful because a ball may come up into the stands,” Caringi said. “It’s also unique because of the great support we get from our students and the many soccer fans in the Baltimore area.”

Indeed, the atmosphere gives Retriever Soccer Park its distinctiveness, and there’s no bigger reason for that than the Lot 17 supporter’s group.

Named after the parking lot where students convene before games, Lot 17 gives UMBC a homefield advantage that few other college soccer programs have. The group chants, waves flags and bangs on drums throughout games to support their team.

“Lot 17 is about creating a fun, vibrant atmosphere,” said Bradley Ingram ’18, media and communication studies,  one of the main leaders of Lot 17 before he graduated. “Everyone is full of energy and passion. There’s a really strong community element for us too – we’re not just supporting random players, but our fellow Retrievers.”

It’s a passion that’s thoroughly appreciated by UMBC’s soccer programs.

“Some of the kids we have were recruited by schools with bigger reputations, but they came to one of our games and wanted to play soccer in that environment,” Caringi said. “After games, the players always go over to the crowd to clap and show their appreciation. They love playing here.”

– Wick Eisenberg

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There’s still plenty of soccer season left! Learn more about upcoming games here.

Enjoy a soccer game during Homecoming

Photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC Magazine.

The story of Christos FC and its unlikely ascent into the national U.S. Open soccer tournament in June is truly the stuff of fairy tales – especially considering the fact that the amateur team lacks a home field, and does not practice.

And yet, the team – a third of which played for UMBC as students – not only blasted into the fourth round of the tournament, but gave the professional players of D.C. United quite a scare before ultimately losing 4-1.

“The players were good on the team, but it was a men’s league team that really just got together and plays on Sundays and [has] fun still,” said UMBC assistant coach Pete Caringi III ’15, psychology. “It really was a crazy couple of weeks. We felt like we were professional players when, in reality, we were going to work and then taking off just to play soccer.”

Everything started when Christos scored a 3-0 victory over Fredericksburg FC in their first game in early May in a tournament featuring nearly 99 amateur and professional teams. They next faced the Richmond Kickers from the United Soccer League, a professional team. Former Retriever Geaton Caltabiano ’14, psychology, scored a late goal that gave Christos a 1-0 victory.

In the third round of tournament play, Christos headed to Chicago to play Chicago FC United, a team that competes in the top amateur level. Christos won that game 1-0 and earned a $15,000 prize for being the final amateur team left in the tournament.

D.C. United – the professional team from Washington – came next, along with tons of publicity. The game took place at Maryland SoccerPlex where another former UMBC player, Mamadou Kansaye ’15, psychology, scored to give UMBC an early 1-0 lead, sending many of the 5,286 fans (according to the Washington Post) into a frenzy.

“That was some of the most fun soccer I’ve ever played.” – Goalie Phil Saunders ’13

The game stayed close, but D.C. United took charge with two late goals for a 4-1 victory. Even with the loss, the Christos team enjoyed more attention than they ever would have expected. Named for the local liquor store that sponsors the team, Christos gained worldwide coverage during the tournament, including the Baltimore Sun, the Washington Post, ESPN, USA TODAY, and more. The team scored an Adidas apparel deal, and its bright green uniforms caught the eye of many more.

By the time Christos took on D.C. United, even people who did not follow soccer regularly knew about the team and its 15 minutes of fame. Seemingly anyone who loved soccer, and many who didn’t, wanted to know the story of this unlikely team.

Goalie Phil Saunders, who played for UMBC until 2013 and is the new men’s soccer coach at CCBC-Catonsville, laughed when talking about the publicity, saying he received more in this run than during his professional playing days (one season with the Baltimore Blast and two years in Iceland).

More than anything, he enjoyed playing with his buddies.

“Going to those away trips and hanging out with friends; that was pretty much as ideal as it gets,” he said. “It was perfect. That was some of the most fun soccer I’ve ever played.”

“It was the amateurs versus the pros. We felt that attachment. We felt this was sort of a UMBC story, too,” said Retriever coach Pete Caringi, Jr. “This is a group of players that… liked playing with one another. It’s a great reflection on the players that went through the [Retriever] program. It made us all proud.”

— Jeff Seidel ’85

Image: Permission from The Baltimore Sun. Top Row, farthest L-R: Joseph Glos ’15, Phil Saunders ’13, Pete Caringi III ’15; Bottom, second from left, Levi Houapeu ’15; far right: Mamadou Kansaye ’15

At UMBC, we’re busy celebrating the men’s soccer team and their America East Championship win over Hartford. This sets the Retrievers on the road to the NCAA tournament–their fourth tournament bid in five years.

The team is truly a “Fan Favorite” and Retriever Fever is catching across campus, from the dedicated supporters of Lot 17 to faculty and staff. In fact, The Baltimore Sun  reported that at the end of the America East Championship game, “UMBC fans and students stormed the field and celebrated with the players at midfield.”

The men’s soccer team is in Wake Forest today for the first round of the NCAA tournament–along with a bus full of dedicated supporters–in hopes of continuing their winning streak.

Do you have Retriever Fever? Support the team on the road to victory!

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community.

• Roy Meyers, Political Science on MarylandReporter.com
• Leslie Morgan, Sociology and Anthropology, in The Baltimore Beacon
• Nicole King, American Studies, in City Paper
• Thomas Schaller, Political Science, Op-Ed in The Baltimore Sun
• Paul Smith, Chemistry, in The Baltimore Sun

Read more great news here!

Ted Lawler ’99, biological sciences and psychology, was recently named to the Big South Network’s All-Decade Team for men’s soccer in the 1990s.

From Big South’s website: 

As part of the Big South’s 30th Anniversary celebration in 2013-14, the Conference is announcing its first-ever All-Decade Teams to recognize the student-athletes and coaches who excelled in their respective sport since the Conference’s founding in 1983. A committee of Big South Conference administrators served as the official voting panel to determine the All-Decade Teams, with fan voting comprising 20 percent of the overall total.

During his time at UMBC, Lawler was named Player of the Year and was two-time All-Conference.

Read more.

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NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament
UMBC faces off against winner of Quinnipiac v. Connecticut
Sunday, November 24, 5 p.m., Retriever Soccer Park
Tickets on sale: http://bit.ly/UMBCNCAA

Get your tickets now! $10 for adults, $7 for faculty and staff, and $5 for seniors 55+/youth 5-14/UMBC students. Children 5 and under free.

Tickets must be picked up at will call. For questions, contact Kristen Alexander at kristen2@umbc.edu.

WORDS AND MUSIC

Open the door to Annapolis’ Rams Head Tavern and the sounds of upbeat banjo and guitar fly out into the warm night air, followed by closely by the gruff voice of Adam Trice ’04, English – who’s in the middle of a 45-minute set with his band, Red Sammy.

“It ain’t you, it ain’t her,” Trice growls tunefully in a song called “It Ain’t You (Carolina Road Anthem).” “I’m heading south, but I’m not sure. You got me high, it’s kind of funny. I’m playing bars for gas money.”

Trice dubs Red Sammy’s music as “graveyard country” because he likes the verbal interplay of the phrase. “I feel like it brings up a lot of different connotations that are associated with those two words,” explains Trice. The band has released a few records, including A Cheap Kind of Love Song and Dog Hang Low, both of which are available online or at the band’s shows.

Studying literature at UMBC had a hand in his musical direction. “My music’s more lyric driven, and I think it really banks off my English degree,” he explains. “A lot of electives in the creative writing track. They are the strong focus from which I draw.”

While Trice also pursues a day job as director of foundation relations and grant writing and development at Capitol College in Laurel, he enjoys playing for tips in a Jeremiah Weed bucket and is going to keep playing for the foreseeable future. “My plan is to continue pushing the art and seeing where that goes,” he says.

— Derek Roper ’11
Photo: Tedd Henn

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

The UMBC men’s soccer team’s 2010 campaign was a season to remember – and the 2011 squad will have a chance to shine on national television during UMBC’s Homecoming weekend as a result.

The America East conference announced that the Retrievers’ October 14 match against the University of New Hampshire will be televised nationally at 7 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel as part of the network’s National Soccer Coaches Association of America Game of the Week package.

A traditional part of UMBC Homecoming, the men’s soccer game moved last year from its customary slot on Saturday afternoon to a new slot under the lights as a linchpin of Friday night’s festivities. The new tradition was a big hit: last year’s game against Boston University drew almost 3,000 spectators to Retriever Soccer Park.

This year’s game against New Hampshire is a rematch of a bitterly fought America East championship game last November at Retriever Soccer Park, which saw UMBC triumph after double overtime and a series of penalty kicks. The victory sent the Retrievers to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament, where they won a thrilling come-from-behind victory against Princeton University before bowing to the College of William and Mary (also on penalty kicks) to end their season.

The national television audience won’t only get a glimpse of this year’s team and UMBC’s Homecoming spirit on October 14; they will also see a revamped Retriever Soccer Park that has added even more seats and more lights to one of the best soccer facilities in the region.

— Richard Byrne ’86

PLASTIC FANTASTIC

Plastic cups with UMBC’s logo and wild orange and yellow splashes were a hit at the university’s New Student Day. But incoming UMBC freshman Allison Olender decided to make a hit of her own – a sprightly video cover version of “You’re Gonna Miss Me” by Lulu and the Lampshades – in which she used the funky giveaway cup as percussion.

Olender posted her video on UMBC’s Class of 2015 Meet and Greet site – a Facebook group where incoming freshmen can find out who might be in their classes or dorm room, get a head start on making new friends and have their questions answered by fellow classmates.

The video made a splash with Olender’s fellow classmates, which isn’t surprising. The recent Bel Air High School grad with “an affinity for jazz” says that she has “been singing for the majority of my life” – in musicals, on the web and in a new band called “Prison Music.”

“When I posted the video,” Olender says, “I did not expect to generate such a warm and positive response.” She says she was attracted to UMBC by “the terrific atmosphere…. I knew that I wanted to attend a school that had excitement and integrity rooted in the system, and when I visited UMBC, my expectations were met.”

Look for UMBC’s new viral video star in person when she starts attending class in Spring 2012. “It means the world to me that the others were so responsive,” Olender says, “and I hope to share my music on campus.”

(You can check out more of Allison Olender’s music at her website: www.allisonolender.com)

— Richard Byrne ’86

CLIMBING THE LADDER

In 2008, former UMBC Retriever pitcher Zach Clark ’06, psychology, was with the Frederick Keys – a Class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles – when he got the news that he was needed at Class AAA Norfolk Tides for a spot starting assignment.

The good news traveled fast, but Clark didn’t. It was only after a long bus trip with the Keys from Kinston, NC, to Myrtle Beach, SC, and an early morning flight to Syracuse, NY, that Clark finally joined his new club. He pitched for the Tides that same night.

“I slept at the hotel during the day, went to the field and pitched,” recalls Clark, who has played in the Orioles farm system since 2006. “That was pretty crazy. I didn’t know anybody. That was my first time at Triple A.”

Signed by Orioles’ scout Dean Albany as a non-drafted free agent after leaving UMBC in 2006, Clark started this season pitching for the Class AA Bowie Baysox. He began 2011 with a minor league record of 24-28 and an ERA of 3.61 in 119 games.

Clark knows life as a pitcher on-call is part of the path to the big leagues. He once battled heavy traffic from Bowie to Norfolk, VA to take the mound for Tides in a night game.

In games through Aug. 4 of this season Clark was 6-7 with an ERA of 5.14 in 18 games (with 17 starts) for Bowie in the Eastern League. Clark was named the Eastern League pitcher of the week on May 2 of this season.

— David Driver