1/18/2012 11:54 PM 

In 2009-10 UMBC was in the MACHA Freedom Division, the team went 15-0-0 and won the regular season crown. In 2010-11 UMBC was a member of the MACHA-North Division, that team went 8-1-0 in conference play en route to another regular season title. This season the Retrievers are members of the MACH-South division and currently sit at 5-0-0 in conference play; poised to win another regular season title and make a run for the team's fourth consecutive conference playoff championship. The last two stops on that journey for another regular season championship come this weekend in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Virginia when the Dawgs take on the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Liberty Flames.

Friday morning the team will pack up the bus and head down I-81 to exit 143 and the Roanoke Civic Center for a 7:30 appointment with the #7 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies. In their only previous meeting this season, October 22 in Reisterstown, UMBC took a 2-0 decision at the hands of a Jon Drago 22 save shutout and goals by Taylor Morgan and Justin Stewart despite 39 shots on goal.  The last visit by the Dawgs to the RCC was January 14 of last season when UMBC fell to VT by the score of 3-2 despite outshooting VT 40-35.

Saturday will see the Retrievers make a short trip north from Roanoke one hour to Lynchburg where UMBC will face-off against #5 Liberty University from the LaHaye Ice Center at 8:45 pm. While this is the first road game against Liberty this season UMBC did take the ice at LaHaye earlier this year against Kennesaw St in a 4-3 victory. In their previous meeting this season October 23 at the Reisterstown Sportsplex UMBC came out victorious over the Flames by a score of 4-1 in a game which UMBC outshot Liberty 44-22. Jon Drago earned the victory and UMBC was led by goals from Stewart, Erik Becker, Matt Bloom and Dan Durantaye, with Sean O'Connor chipping in three assists that day.

UMBC can lock up the divisional title with a weekend sweep or a victory over Virginia Tech and one point vs Liberty. MACH Playoffs will be held the weekend of February 17-19 at the Lahaye Ice Center in Lynchburg, VA.