Road Warriors
UMBC men�s soccer team beats the University of Louisville to advance to Elite Eight in NCAA Tournament.
The UMBC men�s soccer team journeyed to play No. 13 Louisville on Sunday night and came back with a famous victory that propelled them into the quarterfinals of the men�s NCAA soccer championship.
Senior midfielder Kansaye Mamadou converted a penalty kick in the 24th minute to give the Retrievers a lead that they never relinquished to earn a spot in the Elite Eight of college soccer.
UMBC is the only team remaining in the tournament with three wins on the road � and coach Pete Caringi, Jr.�s squad will travel again to play the Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday, December 5 at 8 p.m. EST.
The Retrievers started the game with immense confidence and composure, and UMBC had the best of the play in the first half before a handball call within the area in the 22rd minute on a Louisville defender led the referee to award a penalty. Mamadou beat the keeper with an expertly-taken penalty kick.
Louisville increased the tempo of the game in the second half to try to find an equalizer, yet the Retrievers began the half still looking dangerous on the counterattack.
As the game wore on, however, the Cardinals piled pressure on the Retrievers, and standout sophomore goalkeeper Billy Heavner made a number of key saves to preserve the UMBC lead � including a tremendous slap save on a threatening ball in the face of goal in the game�s 79th minute.
The Retrievers� current run to the Elite Eight of college soccer is the team�s best showing ever in Division I. The team joins their next opponent � Creighton University � along with Georgetown University, the University of Virginia, UCLA, Providence University, Michigan State University, and the University of North Carolina in the quarterfinals.
The men�s soccer squad has achieved this athletics milestone by taking a different path to success. The university and its athletics department share a vision to seek excellence for UMBC�s student athletes in the classroom as well as on the field.
In a recent interview with UMBC Magazine, UMBC athletics director Tim Hall said: �My own beliefs about intercollegiate athletics and academics are congruent with the leadership of the university. I believe that success in athletics and success in academics are not mutually exclusive. You can be successful and balanced in both.�
It�s a vision that�s paying off with the Elite Eight Retrievers.
Last week, Heavner was presented with the inaugural America East Elite 18 award, which recognizes student-athletes competing in conference championship matches who possess high academic and athletic achievements. In addition to being one of the catalysts on UMBC�s amazing postseason run, Heavner also maintains a 4.0 GPA as a major in financial economics.
The UMBC men’s and women’s soccer teams also earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Awards for the 2013-14 academic year for posting cumulative team grade point averages of 3.0 or better. UMBC was one of only 188 schools that had both men’s and women’s programs recognized in the NSCAA awards.
The win against Louisville on Sunday night also extends the collegiate careers of the squad�s exceptional core of senior players � including Kansaye, defender Oumar Ballo, forward Kay Banjo, defender Jordan Becker, midfielder Geaton Caltabiano, midfielder Michael DiCesare, defender Marquez Fernandez, midfielder Stephen Ho, midfielder/defender Zach Wenger, and defender Spencer Williams.
To see video highlights of the historic win, explore detailed game accounts and statistics, and obtain information on tickets to next Friday�s game in Omaha, head to www.umbcretrievers.com.
(Updated 12/1/2014)
