UMBC Sports Blog

There were only two players in the America East that were unanimous selections to the all-conference team, those two players were Andrew Bulls and Levi Houapeu, who were also named the AEC striker and midfielder of the year, respectively.

It does not come as a surprise at all that the two were named first team all-conference, they are one and two in the nation in goals and points, and two and three in assists, and have just dominated competition all season.

Andrew Bulls

After scoring 15 goals with 10 assists for 40 points, Bulls was named striker of the year, making him the first since UMBC joined the America East. Bulls has been the highest scoring player in the nation since the end of the first week of games, and his 15 goals is the sixth-most in school history, and most since Derek McElligott in 2003.

Levi Houapeu

Amazingly enough Houapeu has been just as dominate as Bulls this season. Getting one player with a double-double is great, but Houapeu has 14 goals and 11 assists for 39 points this year. Two times this year Houapeu has recorded a hat trick and his 11 assists is tied for fourth most in school history.

The last America East midfielder of the year for UMBC was Matt Watson, who took home the award in both the 2004 and 2005 seasons. This year also marks the first time UMBC has had two first-team all-conference players since Watson and defender Marcus Gross were named to it in 2005.

UMBC had two other players take home awards. Both Liam Paddock and Phil Saunders were named to the all-rookie team.

Liam Paddock

Paddock, an import from England, started all 16 games in which he played. He missed on game because of a yellow card violation. He played all 16 games at center back, and was a big reason for wins over Boston U and Albany when fellow center back Chris Williams was out with an injury.

Phil Saunders

Saunders started all 17 games in goal and became the first freshman to start the season opener since Soren Byskov did in 1997. He recorded 60 saved and a .750 save% with just a 1.20 goals against average.

America East Fans’ Choice Player of the Year Ballot

Andrew Bulls has been nominated to the America East Fans’ Choice Player of the Year for 2009. So far this season he has scored 15 goals (top in the nation), 10 assists (tied for second in the nation) and 40 points (first in the nation) and he still has two games left. Bulls has recorded multi-point games seven times this season.

He started the season with 11 straight games with a point, tying Giuliano Celenza’s streak set in 2000.

In the first six games this year Bulls scored eight goals and was the fastest to do that in UMBC’s Division I history.

This season he has been named the America East Player of the week twice, and the National Player of the Week by College Soccer News and NSCAA after the first week of the season.

Voting ends Monday, Nov. 2 at 12:00 pm.

It comes as no surprise but Levi Houapeu earned his second Player of the Week honor of the season after posting four goals and two assists in two wins last week.

In the tournament clinching win over Albany he recorded three goals for his second hat trick of the season and had an assist for a seven point game.

Against Boston he tied the game up 30 second after Boston U scored and in both games he assisted the game winning goal.

America East Women’s Soccer Fan’s Choice Player of the Year Ballot

Sophomore Goalkeeper Mo Van Vlerah is one of nine nominees for the America East Women’s Soccer Fans’ Choice Player of the Year. So go vote for her and show your support.

She currently leads the entire America East with 102 saves, topping Stony Brook goalkeeper Marisa Viola by four. She also has a 0.708 save percentage and has kept UMBC in every single game this year.

Senior Matt Mattingly of the men’s swimming team and senior Tereza Kaplanova of the women’s swimming team each won the week 2 America East swimmers of the week awards in UMBC’s first week of meets.

Mattingly won two individual golds in the 163-133 win over Rider in the season opener. He took the 100 breast in 58.67 and the 200 IM in 1:57.38. He was also apart of the first place 200 medley relay team consisting of Mattingly, Brad Reitz, Sandy Haibel, and Steven Gallagher.

Kaplonova also won two individual events. She won the 200 breast in 2:26.77 and the 200 IM in 2:12.34. She also posted two golds in the 166-135 victory over the Broncs in the 100 backstroke in 1:00.90 and in the 200 medley relay also consisting of Kathryn Moorby, Lindsay Sherman, and Ashley Miller.

Naomi Bush has 103 kills on the year.

Volleyball outside hitter is certainly fitting in well with the volleyball team, like man of her former teammates she is dominating the America East Rookie of the week award as she has won her third this year.

Bush currently leads all freshman in kills and points per set.

In two wins over Towson and Hartford she led the team in hitting percentage (.290). She had 2.88 kills and .88 blocks per set in the two matches.

In the conference opener against Hartford she hit .476 with 10 kills and no errors with five blocks.

Against Towson she recorded 13 kills.

It has been 435 minute since Phil Saunders has last given up a goal and with his two shutouts last week over Loyola and La Salle, UMBC’s two toughest opponents this year, he has been honored with the rookie of the week award for the second time in as many weeks.

Against Loyola Saundrs recorded six saves in the 1-0 win and then he recorded five in the team’s 3-0 victory over La Salle in their first road game of the season.

Saunders leads the America East Conference with a .340 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.  He is also tied to league lead with five shutouts.

It comes as no surprise that Levi Houapeu was named the Player of the Week. In UMBC 3-0 win over Drexel he recorded all three goals for the hat trick.

Houapeu was also named to the College Soccer News’ Team of the Week and he is now the number two scorer in the nation, behind teammate Andrew Bulls.

Phil Saunders earned his first Rookie of the Week award after recording two shutouts against Towson and Drexel. He recorded nine stops on the week for his third career shutout to lower his goals-against average to 0.44, both are second-best in the conference.

For the third straight week a UMBC freshman has walked away from the week with the Rookie of the Week award. Naomi Bush earned her second Rookie of the Week award with 35 kills and a .261 hitting percentage.

Against Howard she hit .500 with 15 kills and then has 10 kills, seven digs, and three service aces against VCU. In her final game of the weekend she recorded her first career double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs against Maryland.

Senior setter Kira Giles averaged 10.07 assists per set over the 3-1 week. Against VCU she recorded a double-double with 43 assists and 10 digs. Against Howard she averaged 13.67 assists per set. Her four game total from last week was 2.14 digs per set, sic kills, seven blocks, two aces, and a .417 hitting percentage.

For the second consecutive week men’s soccer forward Andrew Bulls was named the America East player of the week. During week one Bulls dominated with a five goal and four assist week. Last week, with one less game to play, he was not as productive but was still great. He recorded three goals in two games, getting him eight in just five games. Bulls scored two goals against St. Francis (PA) and one goal against Mount St. Mary’s, which was good enough to earn him the Adidas Kick Off Classic MVP award.

In volleyball, Ali Loynachan has been great all year but last week was he best yet, which earned he the rookie of the week award. She recorded 36 kills and 39 digs in four games. In her final two games she recorded back-to-back double-doubles with 13 kills and 10 digs against George Washington and 11 kills and 12 digs against Princeton.