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At UMBC, a different take on Homecoming
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For most high schools, colleges and universities across the nation, Homecoming means alumni, concerts and action on the gridiron.
But at UMBC, the action on the soccer pitch will do just fine, thank you.
With no football program, the 43-year-old Divison I Retrievers celebrate Homecoming most years with the return of the school's soccer team.
And this season, with UMBC 10-2 and spending time ranked in the top-25 as a mid-major, Homecoming without football isn't so bad.
"I think it's a huge honor for the soccer program," said Levi Houapeu, a junior forward who will be playing in his third Homecoming game. "Alums come out...we expect a big crowd. It's good for the school."
Freshman defender Dave Vaeth agreed with his teammate, saying that being the marquee game on Homecoming makes the action on Saturday special.
"In high school it was all about the football team," Vaeth said. "It's nice to be the key team in the fall."
When the Retrievers take the pitch Saturday at 1 p.m., they'll be doing so as a team in the midst of a rough patch.
After starting the season 9-0-0, UMBC has gone 1-2 in its last three contests, including two losses to conference opponents. The Retrievers most recently lost to New Hampshire 2-0 at UMBC Soccer Stadium.
Facing Longwood, a non-conference opponent in the midst of conference play, could have been a distraction for the young UMBC squad now fighting to show it is the dominant team in the America East.
"This is the biggest challenge we've had in a while," coach Pete Caringi said, noting that the team hasn't play in a week but is dealing with a significant number of injuries. Caringi said he would be starting basically a "whole new back four" against Longwood, while goalkeeper Phil Saunders was kept out of practice until Friday afternoon.
The coach suggested that getting through the game healthy may be the primary objective. Caringi emphasized, however, that just because the game isn't as important in the grand scheme because it is outside the conference, does not mean his team is taking the opponent lightly.
"[The] game is important because it's homecoming," he said, adding that playing well in a non-conference matchup might give his team a momentum shift it seems to need.
"This Homecoming couldn't come at a better time," said Houapeu, agreeing with his coach's assessment. The Retrievers could use the boost, given that they have a tough matchup against conference foe Boston on Wednesday.
"There's a little more pressure on you," Caringi said of winning on Homecoming, before admitting to looking a line further down the schedule.
"That Wednesday game is more important," he said.
