UMBC Opens 2026 Season With 3-1 Win Over Mount St. Mary’s
BALTIMORE — UMBC opened the 2026 women’s soccer season with an impressive offensive performance Thursday night, defeating in-state rival Mount St. Mary’s, 3-1, at Retriever Soccer Park.
Three different Retrievers scored as UMBC built an early two-goal advantage and never surrendered the lead. The victory moved UMBC to 1-0 on the young season, while Mount St. Mary’s dropped to 0-1.
UMBC wasted little time creating trouble for the Mountaineers.
Sophomore midfielder Zoe Brossman opened the scoring just 9:32 into the match. A Mount St. Mary’s goal kick went directly to Brossman, who took advantage of the mistake, pushed forward and beat goalkeeper Abby Makela to give the Retrievers a 1-0 advantage.
Less than seven minutes later, freshman Brooke Clagett doubled the lead.
Clagett initially had her shot stopped by Makela but stayed with the play and converted the rebound at the 16:37 mark for the first goal of her collegiate career. UMBC had quickly turned the season opener into a 2-0 game before the Mount had settled into its attack.
Mount St. Mary’s responded in the 27th minute.
Freshman Lyndsay Heath drew a foul near the left side of the penalty area, setting up a penalty kick. Fineen Cregan, a sophomore transfer from Akron playing her first match for the Mountaineers, converted the opportunity into the lower-left corner past UMBC goalkeeper Amara Codd.
The goal was Cregan’s first as a Mountaineer and the first goal of Mount St. Mary’s 2026 season.
The Mount nearly tied the match before halftime.
Anika Berger sent a dangerous high shot toward goal with approximately two minutes remaining, but Codd got her fingertips on the ball and redirected it off the crossbar and over the net. The play allowed UMBC to carry a 2-1 advantage into halftime.
Codd Helps Preserve Lead
Mount St. Mary’s came out much more aggressively after halftime.
The Mountaineers attempted 10 of their 14 total shots during the second half after managing only four in the opening 45 minutes. UMBC goalkeeper Codd was forced to make five of her six saves after halftime.
One of her biggest stops came about nine minutes into the second half when she denied a dangerous Mount opportunity headed toward the corner.
Despite Mount St. Mary’s increased pressure, UMBC eventually produced the goal that effectively put the game away.
Senior co-captain Reagan Casper delivered a corner into the box in the 69th minute. Hailey Ahmed, a sophomore defender who entered as a substitute, redirected the ball into the lower-left corner for her first collegiate goal.
Payton Foster and Casper were credited with assists, giving UMBC its final 3-1 advantage.
UMBC Shows Offensive Depth
Perhaps the most encouraging part of the opener for the Retrievers was where the offense came from.
Brossman, Clagett and Ahmed each scored once, while Foster and Casper recorded assists. Two of UMBC’s three goals were the first collegiate goals for the players who scored them.
UMBC finished with a 17-14 advantage in shots, including a 9-7 edge in shots on goal. The Retrievers also controlled the corner-kick battle, 6-2.
Nia Hudson was particularly active off the UMBC bench, taking a game-high five shots in only 28 minutes. Clagett put both of her attempts on goal, while Ahmed also finished with two shots on target.
Codd finished with six saves while playing the entire 90 minutes.
Mount Shows Fight After Difficult Start
The final score does not completely reflect how competitive Mount St. Mary’s became after falling behind 2-0.
After being outshot 9-4 during the first half, the Mountaineers actually outshot UMBC 10-8 over the final 45 minutes.
Cregan finished with two shots, putting both on goal, while Erin Antone led the Mount with four attempts. Berger had two shots on goal, and Peyton Gallagher added three total attempts.
Makela also made six saves despite allowing three goals.
For Mount St. Mary’s, the challenge will be eliminating the early mistakes that allowed UMBC to build its lead. Once the Mount settled into the game, it created enough opportunities to pressure the Retrievers.
Maryland Matchup Draws Solid Crowd
The season-opening matchup between the two Maryland programs drew an announced crowd of 405 to Retriever Soccer Park.
It was an encouraging opening night for UMBC, which generated scoring from several parts of the roster and received strong goalkeeping when Mount St. Mary’s made its second-half push.
For the Mount, Cregan immediately made an impact in her first appearance with the program, while the second-half shot advantage provides something to build from despite the loss.
Up Next
UMBC remains home and will face American University on Sunday, Aug. 16, at 6 p.m. at Retriever Soccer Park.
Mount St. Mary’s will also return to action Sunday when it hosts another Maryland opponent, Towson, at 6 p.m. at Waldron Family Stadium in Emmitsburg. It will be the Mountaineers’ 2026 home opener.
That means Maryland Sports Blog will have another in-state women’s soccer matchup to watch only three days after UMBC and Mount St. Mary’s opened their seasons against one another.
