UMBC Women’s Soccer Suffers First Loss of Season in 2-0 Setback to St. John’s
The UMBC women’s soccer team suffered its first loss of the 2026 season Thursday afternoon, falling 2-0 to St. John’s at Retriever Soccer Park.
UMBC entered the match unbeaten through its first four contests and held its own against the Big East opponent throughout a scoreless opening half. St. John’s took control after halftime, however, scoring twice to hand the Retrievers their first defeat and drop UMBC to 3-1-1 on the season.
Retrievers Battle Through Scoreless First Half
UMBC came into Thursday’s contest with one of the hottest offenses in the America East.
The Retrievers had scored 12 goals over their first four matches, including five in a victory over Fairmont State. UMBC had also started a season unbeaten through four games for the first time since 2014.
St. John’s presented a considerably different challenge.
Neither team could establish a decisive advantage during the opening portion of the match, but UMBC generated perhaps its best scoring opportunity in the 34th minute.
Sophomore midfielder Zoe Brossman played a through ball from near midfield toward Cami Mink on the right side of the penalty area. Mink got behind the defense and found herself one-on-one with St. John’s goalkeeper Kayla Bower.
Bower came up with the stop, diving to her left and pushing Mink’s attempt wide.
UMBC threatened again late in the half following a corner kick. The ball eventually came to Regan Rubin near the top of the penalty area, but Rubin’s shot went just over the crossbar.
The teams went into halftime tied 0-0.
St. John’s Strikes Early in Second Half
The Red Storm needed just over four minutes after halftime to change the game.
Janelle Sylvestre sent a cross into the penalty area that found freshman Carly Schuler. Schuler controlled the ball and beat UMBC goalkeeper Amara Codd from close range at the 49:12 mark.
It was Schuler’s first collegiate goal.
The goal also changed the flow of the match. St. John’s became increasingly dangerous offensively and finished the second half with 12 shots after attempting six in the opening 45 minutes.
The Red Storm eventually doubled their advantage at 71:32.
Sia Bharadwaj played a long through ball that sent Daisy Burt into the UMBC penalty area. Burt finished her opportunity with a low shot into the bottom-left corner for her first collegiate goal.
That gave St. John’s a 2-0 advantage that held through the final whistle.
St. John’s Wins the Shot Battle
The final statistics demonstrated how much the match shifted after halftime.
St. John’s outshot UMBC 18-8 overall and placed six shots on goal compared with two for the Retrievers. The Red Storm held a 12-5 advantage in shots during the second half.
UMBC did finish with a 6-5 edge in corner kicks.
Mink and Brooke Clagett accounted for UMBC’s two shots on goal. Mink and Olivia Nardone led the Retrievers with two total shots apiece.
Codd played all 90 minutes in goal for UMBC and finished with four saves.
Bower stopped both UMBC shots on goal to earn the shutout for St. John’s.
First Bump in an Encouraging Start
The loss should not overshadow what UMBC accomplished during the opening stretch of the season.
The Retrievers opened with three consecutive victories, defeating Mount St. Mary’s 3-1, American 2-1 and Fairmont State 5-3. They then battled West Chester to a 2-2 draw before facing St. John’s.
UMBC had scored 12 goals through its first four games before being shut out for the first time this season Thursday.
Brooke Clagett was particularly productive during that opening run, while Brossman, Rubin and several other Retrievers contributed to an offense that established itself as one of the most productive units in the America East.
Thursday demonstrated that UMBC can compete with a Big East opponent, particularly during a first half in which the Retrievers kept St. John’s off the scoreboard and created opportunities of their own.
The next step will be turning those opportunities into goals against stronger defensive teams.
MSB Take
This is the kind of early-season loss UMBC can learn from.
The Retrievers were not overwhelmed by St. John’s. For 45 minutes, they played a Big East program evenly and had opportunities to take the lead. Mink’s one-on-one opportunity was especially significant because converting it could have changed the entire complexion of the match.
Where St. John’s separated itself was after halftime. The Red Storm became much more dangerous, attempted 12 second-half shots and punished UMBC when openings appeared.
For a Retrievers team that entered the afternoon averaging three goals per match, being held to eight shots and only two on target also provides a useful measuring stick. UMBC has already shown it can score in bunches. Developing ways to consistently create chances against stronger defensive opponents could make this team considerably more dangerous when America East play arrives.
A 3-1-1 start remains encouraging, and Thursday’s result does little to change that.
UMBC showed during the first four matches that it has offensive depth. Now the Retrievers have their first opportunity to show how they respond to adversity.
UMBC will look to bounce back when it travels to Delaware for its first road match of the season.
