UMBC Athletics has a big Homecoming slate of events on tap for the weekend. In addition to a slew of alumni games on Saturday, five varsity teams will be in home action this weekend.

Saturday’s festivities are kicked off with the Rob Magin 5k Dawg Chase at 9:00 a.m. Registrations are still being accepted at www.umbc.edu/homecoming.

The swimming and diving squads open the 2012-13 schedule with a meet on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The men will host Rider, while Chad Cradock’s women’s team will welcome both Rider and James Madison to the refurbished Retriever Aquatic Complex.

The men’s soccer team plays its lone afternoon home contest of the year when they host Boston University on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in a key conference match.

On Sunday, both the women’s soccer squad and volleyball teams host Stony Brook, also in very critical America East contests.

In men’s soccer action this week, UMBC (5-3-4, 0-1-1 America East) came up with a 3-1 home victory over Howard and a 1-1 double overtime draw at America East rival UNH. Senior Dave Vaeth (Patapsco) and sophomore Joe Glos (Perry Hall) scored their first collegiate goals in the win over Howard. Vaeth scored 17 seconds into the game, which is believed to be a UMBC Division I  record for the fastest UMBC goal to start a game.

Senior Milo Kapor successfully converted his third penalty kick of the season in the 77’ to get the Retrievers even with UNH and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Despite a valiant effort from freshman goalkeeper Jen Nance (Severna Park) in her first collegiate start, the UMBC women’s soccer team dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker to Boston University, surrendering the contests only goal with 18 seconds remaining on the clock in Thursday night’s America East matchup at Retriever Soccer Park.

The Terriers (8-5-1, 4-0-0 America East) remain undefeated in league play and extend their win streak in conference play to 28-straight games.

The UMBC women’s soccer team has announced that it will “Fight In Pink” on Sunday, Oct. 14 against Stony Brook, to help spread awareness and raise money for breast cancer. Starting Tuesday, Oct. 2, the Retrievers will be selling pink shirts and accepting donations with all the proceeds going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a foundation that has become the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

Shirts will be on sale for $8.00 prior to game day or can be purchased for $10.00 at the game. In addition, pink shirts that were worn by the UMBC players during pregame will also be up for auction on game day.

To purchase a shirt or to make a donation contact UMBC women’s soccer head coach Leslie Wray at lwray@umbc.edu.

The volleyball team (9-13, 2-3 America East) split a pair of road conference matches, sweeping Hartford, 3-0, then falling at perennial league power Albany, 3-1. Sophomore Hannah Schmidt (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales) compiled her team leading seventh double-double of the season at Albany and her 13 kills and 10 digs were her third double-double in four matches.