By Corey Johns

You can argue that it was just a scrimmage and you can argue that Crystal Palace Baltimore is a Division II team, but Crystal Palace is still a professional program, and anytime a college team wins against the pros, it’s an upset.

Seven minutes into the first half Andrew Bulls capitalized on a free kick to put UMBC up 1-0. The score stayed there the entire time. Goalie Miguel Calderon made a good case to start next year, capitalizing in his first spring game and blocking for a shutout against a professional team.

Crystal Palace is now home to former Retriever Kevin Gnatiko, who started in the game at forward and came close twice. In a game as physical as this was, he could not make a goal.

UMBC ran a 4-5-1 formation with Coach Pete Caringi trying guys out at different positions. Midfielder Dustin Dzwonkowski played defense and impressed with his long legs, getting in between passes and breaking up the other team’s offense.

“I’m extremely happy with the result,” said Caringi. “To beat a pro team getting ready for their season is a great accomplishment and now we just have to get back to work and keep doing what we’re doing.”