UMBC tandem find success, friendship on soccer field
Sat 07 Nov 2009
UMBC soccer playersAndrew Bulls, right, andLevi Houapeu hold thetop two spots, respectively,for points in NCAADivision I men's soccer.
Andrew Bulls was reared on organized soccer. Levi Houapeu grew up playing pickup games in the dusty streets of his West African homeland.
Bulls, of Millersville, never lacked for the best equipment. Houapeu played barefoot and shaped rudimentary goals out of rocks.
Now they are teammates at UMBC, a couple of high-scoring wunderkinds who lead the Retrievers against Binghamton tonight (7 p.m.) in an America East tournament quarterfinal game in Vestal, N.Y.
Bulls leads the NCAA Division I in total points (40), with Houapeu right behind him at 39. Bulls, a sophomore, has 15 goals and 10 assists. Houapeu, a junior, has 14 goals and 11 assists.
Together, they've carried a fledgling UMBC team to a 12-5 mark and fifth place in the eight-team America East. The Retrievers have no seniors and were picked to finish last.
Their scoring tandem changed that. On Wednesday, Bulls was named the league's Striker of the Year, and Houapeu the top midfielder.
Eight of Bulls' goals were game-winners. Houapeu? Twice, the native of the Ivory Coast has scored hat tricks, getting three goals each in victories over Albany and Drexel.
Neither player is jealous of the other's success - a rarity in big-time soccer, said Bulls, a graduate of McDonogh.
Bulls, of Millersville, never lacked for the best equipment. Houapeu played barefoot and shaped rudimentary goals out of rocks.
Now they are teammates at UMBC, a couple of high-scoring wunderkinds who lead the Retrievers against Binghamton tonight (7 p.m.) in an America East tournament quarterfinal game in Vestal, N.Y.
Bulls leads the NCAA Division I in total points (40), with Houapeu right behind him at 39. Bulls, a sophomore, has 15 goals and 10 assists. Houapeu, a junior, has 14 goals and 11 assists.
Together, they've carried a fledgling UMBC team to a 12-5 mark and fifth place in the eight-team America East. The Retrievers have no seniors and were picked to finish last.
Their scoring tandem changed that. On Wednesday, Bulls was named the league's Striker of the Year, and Houapeu the top midfielder.
Eight of Bulls' goals were game-winners. Houapeu? Twice, the native of the Ivory Coast has scored hat tricks, getting three goals each in victories over Albany and Drexel.
Neither player is jealous of the other's success - a rarity in big-time soccer, said Bulls, a graduate of McDonogh.
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