Amy Savage was one of the women's soccer teams best player last year as only a freshman. She should be an even bigger threat as a sophomore.

Despite a 2-14-1 record in 2010 the women’s soccer team actually showed a lot of improvement from their 2-14-1 record in 2009.

This year there should be even more improvement and saying the team could compete for that final spot in the six-team America East tournament wouldn’t be wrong at all.

Last year the women’s soccer team got big contributions from their freshmen: Jessy Brown, Lauren Kadet, Amy Savage, Stephanie Smith, and Nichole Clark. The defense also played to a level that kept them in contention most of their games.

Unfortunately Clark is not returning to the team, two of the team’s top defenders graduated, and another will be out all of this season after suffering a bad neck injury in the spring that nearly ended her career.

But all is not lost, Aly Gazarek and Kelsi Morris are two upper classmen set to lead the back line and both senior Mo Van Vlerah and Kadet are very capable goalkeepers that led the America East in saves in consecutive years, respectively.

The question is who will step into those spots as center back that Christine Sadowski, Erin Johnson, and Gitlin played so well in. Morris and Gazarek could certainly move inside but junior Sarah Purdum, sophomore Shannon McGuinness, and freshmen Estelle Bol, Melissa Hummel, and Morgan Taylor will all be in the mix. Taylor was named to the Elite Clubs National League Under-17 All-Event Team at the ECNL/PDA College Showcase earlier this summer and may be the front runner to take one of those two spots.

Now the question is who is going to put the ball in the net. Last year the team only scored 13 goals all season and six of them are gone with the losses of Clark, Vacarino, and Sadowski.

Savage, a sophomore midfielder, is definitely going to be a threat on offense. Last season Savage was named to the America East All-Rookie team after scoring two goals and two assists and finishing tied for the most points among Retrievers. While she played mostly midfield this year she could move up if she continues to prove to be one of the team’s best offensive threats.

But the team is also loaded with three very experienced forwards, who have been plagued by bad luck more than anything. Seniors LeAnne Edgar, who may move back to midfield, and Brooke Piper have both shown offensive ability at points in their career but both have struggled to score, combining for only three career goals. Meanwhile, junior Rachel McKee is fearless when it comes to shooting the ball but has only scored one in each of her two seasons at UMBC.

Early on those three veterans, along with Savage, will be called on to get the job done. They all have the awareness and experience to lead a successful Retriever offense but time will have to tell if years of bad luck (hitting the cross bar, having the opposing goalkeepers making tremendous saves, just missing the net, etc.) has taken their toll on them.

But the team still has plenty of other weapons too. Junior Sarah Kopytko has played in 26 games in her career at UMBC and netted her lone career goal last season.

Brown and Smith should both continue to provide the team with quality play and should be even better now that they have a year under their belts.

Freshmen Lilly Rydon, a member of the 2008 U-17 Australian National Team, Alyssa Brummitt, a two-time all-state honorable mention from Maryland, and Paige Preston, a first-team All-District and All-Division and second-team All-County and All-Shore selection in 2010 from New Jersey, should all be in the mix on offense as well.

The women’s soccer team kicks off their season on August 18 at 4 p.m. on the road at American before hosting Campbell on August 21 at 1 p.m. for their home opener. The women’s soccer team will host nine games this season and will plan eight more on the road.

Campbell is a tough team, and went 9-9-2 last year. This year, like UMBC, they’ve played three games and are 1-2, so they aren’t unbeatable. Campbell’s defense has given up just three goals so far, but showed their weaknesses- outside shots. One goal game off a corner, one game from a blast outside the box, and the other was off a post rebound following a shot from outside the box.

If UMBC just pressures Campbell’s goalie with long shots eventually they can break them. But the key for UMBC will be to stop their shots. UMBC has given up five goals in three games, three of which game against Longwood. What would really help UMBC would be the return of Erin Johnson. Johnson suffered through some minor injuries in the preseason, but apparently it it taking longer than expected for her to come back from them. She was expected back against Drexel but still hasn’t seen the field. If she comes back against Campbell it will certainly be a big boost for the UMBC defense.

Probably Starters:

North Carolina native Morgan Andrews

UMBC (1-2):
F- LeAnne Edgar (1 goal, 0 assists, 3 SOG)
F- Rachel McKee (0 goals, 0 assists, 3 SOG)
M- Jessy Brown (0 goals, 1 assist, 1 SOG)
M- Sandra Vacarino (1 goal, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
M- Katie Gitlin (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG, played defense the last three games)
M- Amy Savage (0 goals, 1 assist, 0 SOG)
B- Aly Gazarek (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
B- Erin Johnson (Has not played)
B- Christine Sadowski (1 goal, 0 assists, 2 SOG)
B- Kelsi Morris (0 goals, 1 assists, 0 SOG)
GK- Lauren Kadet (18 saves, 4 ga, 81.8%)

Key Reserves:
F- Brooke Piper (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Stephanie Smith (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Sarah Kopytko (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Shannon McGuinness (1 goal, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
M- Morgan Andrews (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Nicole Clark (0 goals, 1 assist, 0 SOG)
M- Sarah Purdum (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)

Campbell (1-2):
F- Olga Ekblom (0 goals, 0 assists, 2 SOG)
F- Pirko Leppikangas (1 goal, 0 assists, 5 SOG)
M- Ashley Wagner (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Kirsty Meyer (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Caitlin Schneider (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
M- Marisa Muller (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
B- Jeannie Borda (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
B- Taylor Brown (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
B- Kaili Terry (1 goal, 1 assists, 1 SOG)
B- Cissy Nitz (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
GK- Jamie Panfil (8 saves, 2 ga, 80.0%)

Key Reserves:
F- Annabelle Gibney (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
M- Taylor Viniarski (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
D- Hilliary Gupton (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
D- Anna Lindblad (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)

Erin Johnson hasn't played yet because of injuries, but her return would definitely improve the defense.

Don’t worry too much yet about the women’s soccer team. That opening win wasn’t a huge fluke, granted it was a game they were supposed to win but both Drexel and Longwood are pretty decent teams.

UMBC managed just four shots in the game though, which is something to worry about, but one bright spot is Lauren Kadet. It might be safe to say that she has won the goalie battle as she’s started two games already, and while she allowed three goals in the game against Longwood, all three were one-on-one shots, and she did come up with seven saves, giving her 18 on the season already.

Another thing is that Erin Johnson hasn’t seen the field yet. She brings a lot of experience to the defense, and a lot of talent. When she returns inside defensive midfielder Katie Giltin would likely be able to move back up to her natural position, giving UMBC two levels of defenders.

Junior goalkeeper Mo Van Vlerah is currently in a very interesting position battle with freshman Lauren Kadet.

Longwood may be just 0-2 to start the season, but they are a much better team than their record. Last year the Lancers went 9-8-1, and return most of the key players from that campaign, including a strong senior class of goalkeeper Marcia Biddle, defenders Kayle Huggins, Katie Devlin, and Lauren Trizna, and forward Jessica Varela.

With three seniors across the back line, and a senior in goal, Longwood has a stingy defense. But what really helps them out in this game is that they will be playing at home, where they are 27-9-1 since 2006.

UMBC can certainly win the game. The team already has four goals this season and have been more aggressive and confident, when in possession with the ball. Last year the women’s soccer team, when they had control, always took to long to take a shot, wasting opportunities to take shots to try and set up better shots. Sometimes that can be a good move, but this year the team is taking their chances and already has 23 shots in just two games, nine of which were on target.

One big boost to the team could be the return of senior defender Erin Johnson. She was held out of he first two games after suffering some minor preseason injuries, and is expected to be back for this game. Johnson is a very talented and experienced center back. She came right in her freshman year and started every game en route to an All-Rookie Team selection. In three years she has played in every game (54) and has started 52 of them.

The other story line that deserves special attention is the goal keeper battle between junior Mo Van Vlerah and freshman Lauren Kadet, who have been battling for the starting job all preseason. Van Vlerah started every game last year, and despite being stormed by shots ever game, was very successful. She started the season and wasn’t faced with much action, but saved three shots while conceding a goal. But coach Alyssa Radu made a surprise change for the second game, starting Kadet. And Kadet had a stellar debut. It was ashame she didn’t have any offensive help, as she lost the game 1-0, but she saved 11 shots, which is impressive for a collegiate debut to say the least.

Probably Starters:

Jessy Brown is one of the freshman who has already become an impact player.

UMBC (1-1):
F- LeAnne Edgar (1 goal, 0 assists, 2 SOG)
F- Rachel McKee (0 goals, 0 assists, 2 SOG)
M- Jessy Brown (0 goals, 1 assist, 0 SOG)
M- Sandra Vacarino (1 goal, 0 assists, 2 SOG)
M- Katie Gitlin (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG, played defense the last two games)
M- Morgan Andrews (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
B- Aly Gazarek (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
B- Erin Johnson (Has not played)
B- Christine Sadowski (1 goal, 0 assists, 2 SOG)
B- Kelsi Morris (0 goals, 1 assists, 0 SOG)
GK- Lauren Kadet (11 saves, 1 ga, 91.7%)

Key Reserves:
F- Brooke Piper (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Amy Savage (0 goals, 1 assist, 0 SOG)
M- Nicole Clark (0 goals, 1 assist, 0 SOG)
M- Sarah Purdum (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
GK- Mo Van Vlerah (3 saves, 1 GA, 75.0%)

Longwood (0-1):
F- Lindsey Ottavio (1 goal, 0 assists, 2 SOG)
F- Lindsay Booth (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Kelsey Pardue (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
M- Dylan Spicker (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Jessica Varela (0 goals, 1 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Katie Devlin (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
B- Kacie Oliver (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
B- Natalie Massey (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
B- Kayla Huggins (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
B- Lauren Trizna (1 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
GK- Marcia Biddle (11 saves, 3 ga, 78.6%)

Key Reserves:
F- Nikki Glisson (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
M- Lindsay Wilshaw (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Kristi Dixon (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Mackenzie King (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)

Rachel McKee

You can’t take credit away from the women’s soccer team for opening their season with a because Delaware State just honestly wasn’t a great team because all they could do was beat the opposition at hand. But it will be harder to get a win on the road against Drexel, who is playing their season opener, in their second game.

This is going to be an interesting game. Drexel did only win four games last season, which would at first glance means UMBC had an amazing chance to get a 2-0 start. But Drexel does return every single player who scored a goal for them a season ago. While that is only 10 players who totaled just 20 goals, it means they do have players who know how to score, and what it’s like to score.

Jenna Lindsay is clearly going to be the go-to-scorer for Drexel as she was their top scorer with five goals and 11 points. The team’s second leading goal scorer, Elizabeth Matta (3 goals) is also a solid scoring option who can come off the bench and make a difference.

The Retrievers will also be going up against a good goalie, Nicole Sinclair, who saves over 72% of the shots she was faced with a season ago.

UMBC beat Delaware State by working the ball on the outside and getting it in to their scorers like Sandra Vacarino and LeAnne Edgar. You have to go with what works and likely be doing the same thing again.

If UMBC cam one again work the ball down the field with their wings and make good crosses, it very well may lead to a 2-0 start. But it won’t be easy to do. Drexel is a very young team, but at the same time they are experience as they return 12 players who started at least one game last season. They also return nine of their primary starters from last season.

Probable Starters:

UMBC (1-0):
F- Brooke Piper (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 sog)
F- Rachel McKee (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 sog)
M- Jessy Brown (0 goals, 1 assist, 0 sog)
M- Sandra Vacarino (1 goal, 1 assist, 1 sog)
M- LeAnne Edgar (1 goal, 0 assists, 2 sog)
M- Morgan Andrews (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 sog)
B- Aly Gazarek (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 sog)
B- Christine Sadowski (1 goal, 0 assists, 2 sog)
B- Katie Gitlin (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 sog)
B- Kelsi Morris (0 goals, 1 assist, 0 sog)
GK- Mo Van Vlerah (3 saves, 1 GA, 75% saves)

Key Reserves:
F- Amy Savage (0 goals, 1 assist, 0 sog)
M- Nicole Clark (0 goals, 1 assist, 0 sog)
M- Sarah Kopytko (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 sog)
M- Sarah Purdum (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 sog)
M- Shannon McGuinness (1 goal, 0 assists, 1 sog)

Senior Sandra Vacarino is the team's top returning scorer with four goals and two assists.

It is do or die time for Coach Alyssa Radu, who is entering her third season as coach of the Retrievers. So far in her tenure, the Retrievers have not budged from the bottom on the league as they have gone just 5-30-1 with her at the helm, and the team has also lost several significant players since she signed on, including Kell, First-Team All-CAA defender Morgan Warrington, and former All-Rookie Team Forward Ashley Singer.

This year the Retrievers will have a brand new look to them. While the team only lost three regular starters, they lost six key contributors from last season.

For the last few years the problems with the team has been the inability to find a scorer. The team managed just 14 goals last season, and allowed 51.

Losing two of their top five scorers is going to be rough for an already inept offense. But this year, it is going to be obvious who the offense will be built around: Rachel McKee (1 goal, 1 assists, 22 shots, 14 shots on goal), and Sandra Vacarino (4 goals, 2 assists, 17 shots, 8 shots on goal).

Vacarino led the team in goals and points last season, and has been one of the few players in recent years to show that she does have an ability to score.

McKee on the other hand did not score much as a freshman, but she did shot she has a scorers mentality and did not hesitate to shoot the ball when she felt she had an opportunity to put the ball in the back of the net.

Without adding a forward to the team with her freshman class, Radu isn’t going to be left with much in reserve. LeAnne Edgar and Brooke Piper were both expected to be the team’s leading scorers at this point in their careers, but neither one has shown an ability to score. Neither one scored as a sophomore, and only Piper has a goal to her name as she scored two her freshman year.

Vacarino will be the key player in the midfield. As on the the team’s three seniors, and leading returning scorer, she will be called on for a big leadership role. Around her will be sophomore Katie Gitlin, and two new faces to the starting lineup. Gitlin scored the team’s first goal of the season against George Washington five games into the season, but was unable to score again the rest of her freshman campaign. Replacing Kell and Bilardo for the final two spots in the starting midfield will be tough to do though. Bilardo may not have been much of a scorer, but she did have speed and at least decent ball control. Kell though, may have been the team’s top player the last two years.

Sophomores Sarah Purdum, Sarah Kopytko, and Morgan Andrews all saw decent time last year and could initially be the ones looked at to fill the empty spots. Of the three, Andrews looked to be the best. She did not score, but she did start three games because she was better with her technique than the other two.

Another option could be on-and-off starter Megan McDonald who has made 14 starts in her career but has only totaled five points in the two years she’s played.

But with a 2-14-1 team, it would never be a bad thing to look at freshman to spark something in a team. Radu’s second recruiting class brings in five midfielders. Of the five, either local product Stephanie Smith, who helped lead Archbishop Spalding to an undefeated season her senior year, or Jessy Brown, a four year varsity starter at American Heritage High School in Florida, are the most likely candidate to fill the holes.

Statistically the defense was a mess last year, but honestly, the defense is the most talented group on the team. The team gave up 51 goals last year, but the forwards and midfielders just could not do their part and control the ball, putting all of the pressure on the defensive unit.

While the fourth spot on defense had a revolving door of players last season, Christina Sadowski, Erin Johnson, and Aly Gazarek were three very good players.

Erin Johnson is one of the very talented defenders on the women's soccer team, but there efforts have been nullifies by the offense's inability to score.

Johnson was a 2007 All-Rookie team selection, and while she has not received a post season award since, she has gotten better each year.

Gazarek was new to the team last year as she transferred from South Florida. Despite being a transfer, Gazarek, was just a freshman last season and got better each time she stepped on the field. She is another player who is not afraid to take a run up the field, shown by her one goal and two assists last season.

But backing up those three is Mo Van Vlerah, who led the America East conference in saves last season with 109. Vlerah gave up a lot of goals, but she was faced with an awful lot of shots, and managed to hold off nearly 70% of them. If the forwards and midfield can manage to keep better control of the ball, and take pressure off the defense, and Van Vlerah, they very well could move up in the standings because of the talent the defensive unit holds.

The fourth spot on the back line will be up for grabs, but junior Kelsi Morris is likely the heavy favorite to take over. Morris is a transfer from University of Pittsburgh, where she started seven games as a freshman, and saw action in 17 games in two years.

There are no disillusion from from anybody that the women’s soccer team at UMBC will win a championship. But after being stuck at, or near the bottom of the conference the last four years there has to be a turn around coming soon. Right now, the goal isn’t even to make it into the conference tournament, it is to move up in the standings and win more than just a single conference game.

In the game junior Sandra Vacarino scored two goals. First she redirected a free kick from Christine Sadowski in the eighth minute to give UMBC a 1-0 lead.

But New Hampshire got the team back by half time. Monique Lamotte stole the ball from the defense and got it past Mo Van Vlerah’s head, who recorded four saves in the game.

Then in the 49th minute Shaunna Kaplan made a long run down the left side and shot the ball tot he far post and got it in for the lead.

UMBC would not back down though. Vacarino scored her second goal and fourth of the season off a cross from Katie Gitlin in the 53rd minute.

While the defense played well to keep New Hampshire at Bay, Morgan Keefe headed in a free kick from Meg Wiley in the 83rd minute, which UMBC could not comeback from.

With the loss UMBC drops to 1-6-0 in the conference and eliminating them from the America East conference tournament. Ad None of the bottom three teams can get enough points to knock out New Hampshire, meaning the field of six is set.

Right now the bottom three teams are Vermont (1-3-2= 5 points), Hartford (1-5-1= 4 points), and UMBC (1-6-0= 3 points) and they still have a chance to finish in seventh place. Again if Hartford loses and UMBC win then Hartford is in last place. Or if Hartford and Vermont tie Hartford would have five points and with a win UMBC would have six points and with a tie UMBC would have five points, but with a head-to-head win over Hartford they would be eighth place.

UMBC (0-4-1):
F- Rachel McKee (0 goals, 0 assists, 6 SOG)
F- Danielle Kell (0 goals, 0 assists, 3 SOG)
M- Katie Gitlin (1 goal, 0 assists, 2 SOG)
M- Sandra Vacarino (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- LeAnne Edgar (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
M- Morgan Andrews (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Elyse Bilardo (0 goals, 0 assists, 2 SOG)
B- Erin Johnson (5 Starts)
B- Aly Garzek (5 Starts)
B- Christine Sadowski (5 Starts)
GK- Mo Van Vlerah (34 saves, 13 goals, allowed, .723 save%)

Key Reserves:
F- Brooke Piper (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
M- Megan McDonald (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
B- Katie McKay (3 games played)

George Mason (7-1):
F- Tiana Kallenberger (5 goals, 3 assists, 13 SOG)
F- Theresa DeLucca (2 goals, 2 assists, 4 SOG)
F- Nicole Peters (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Omolyn Davis (6 goals, 2 assists, 10 SOG)
M- Capricia Alston (2 goals, 0 assists, 4 SOG)M- Mary Kate Lowry (0 goals, 0 assists, 2 SOG)
B- Sasha Vido (5 Starts)
B- Patti Benner (8 Starts)
B- Hannah Sklay (8 Starts)
GK- Katie Frey (23 saves, 4 goals allowed, .852 save%)

Key Reserves:
F- Kelly Keelan (4 goals, 6 assists, 6 SOG)
F- Annie Lebherz (2 goals, 0 assists, 11 SOG)
F- Jessica Pisasale (2 goals, 0 assists, 5 SOG)
F- Zania Barnum (0 goals, 1 assists, 1 SOG)
M- Crissy Parker (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
M- Kimmy Moss (2 goals, 1 assists, 9 SOG)
M- Leslie Cabe (1 goal, 0 assists, 6 SOG)
M- Colleen Killiany (0 goals, 1 assists, 0 SOG)
B- Kelly Thomas (7 starts)

UMBC is coming off their best game of the season but are now traveling to one of the best and deepest teams in the nation. One thing is for sure, Mo Van Vlerah will once again keep UMBC in the game. She has been great all season but if they defense lets shots go she can’t save everything. The offense is what needs to pick up though. They got their first goal so lets hope they can build off that momentum.

Katie Gitlin celebrates following her goal, which was the first of the season scored by a Retriever

It took 395 minutes but a UMBC player finally scored a goal for UMBC. In the 36th minute Katie Gitlin headed the ball in off a corner by Aly Garzek. UMBC played very well in the first half. They controlled the game in the first half and it payed off.

But the second half was a different story. In just 18 seconds George Washington tied the game off a long pass in a one-on-one situation with the goalie. George Washington pressured UMBC the rest of the half but Mo Van Vlerah played very well in goal recording a career high 10 saves over the course of the game

With the game tied at the end of regulation the game went into extra minutes, but after both overtimes nothing was settled, ending the game in a 1-1 draw.

UMBC (0-4):
F- Rachel McKee (0 goals, 0 assists, 5 SOG)
F- LeAnne Edgar (0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG)
M- Elyse Bilardo (0 goals, 0 assists, 2 SOG)
M- Sandra Vacarino (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Danielle Kell (0 goals, 0 assists, 2 SOG)
M- JoAnne Jackson (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
B- Katie Gitlin (4 Starts)
B- Christine Sadowski (4 Starts)
B- Aly Garzarek (4 Starts)
B- Erin Johnson (4 Starts)
GK- Mo Van Vlerah (24 saves, 12 goals allowed, .667 save%)

Key Reserves:
F- Brooke Piper (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
M- Megan McDonald (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG)
B- Katie McKay (3 games played)
B- Morgan Andrews (4 games played)

George Washington (2-3-1):
F- Kayley Sullivan (0 goals, 1 assist, 10 SOG)
M- Sierra Smidinger (0 goals, 1 assist, 3 SOG)
M- Misa Eiritz (2 goals, 0 assists, 6 SOG)
M- Brittany Eger (3 goals, 0 assists, 6 SOG)
M- Jillian Morgan (0 goals, 1 assist, 3 SOG)
M- Kristen Slack (0 goals, 0 assists, 4 SOG))
B- Molly Bruh (6 sames started)
B- Michelle Aueron (6 games started)
B- Samie Cloutier (6 games started)
B- Emily Gower (6 games started)
GK- Lindsey Rowe (33 saves, 7 goals allowed)

Key Reserves:
F- Adriana Moya (0 goals, 0 assists, 7 SOG)
M- Brittain Schorstein (0 goals, 0 assists, 4 SOG)
M- Ashley Starks (0 goals, 0 assists, 3 SOG)
B- Clare Roche (Six games player)

While UMBC has yet to score a goal they, have had almost two weeks off to figure out that is gong wrong. The alignment will likely be changed in order to get something going. UMBC is going to have a challenge but George Washington is not great at scoring either. Both teams have good goalies that will be hard to get by. The game will rely on them. If the defense and Vlerah play well they could come out with the win, but they still need to score their first goal of the season for themselves.