ALBANY, N.Y. – UAlbany continues its postseason run against top-seed Vermont in Burlington in the America East semifinals.
 
Game Info
#4 UAlbany (6-7-4, 4-3-2) at #1 Vermont (10-5-1, 7-2-0)
Thursday, November 4 (6:00 pm)
Championship Central | Live Stats | AE.tv | Tickets | Game Notes
 
Leading the Pack

• Eight Great Danes have scored a goal this season, and six have recorded an assist
• UAlbany returns five All-Conference players from the spring season, including spring Strike of the Year Jasmine Colbert
• Colbert led UAlbany with five goals in the spring, all five of which were game-winners
• UAlbany also returns defensive starters Hailey Summers and Sophia Eifler, and goalkeeper Sophia Chen, alongside spring All-Rookie selections Olivia Piraino and Margot Nezaj
• UAlbany is 2-4-3 on the road this season; Vermont is 4-1-1 at home
• Jasmine Colbert leads the America East in shots taken (69), four more than second place, twin sister Jada, and ranks second in goals scored (8) and total points (17)
• Cassandra Coster leads the America East in save percentage (.882) and ranks second in goals-against average (0.68)
• Vermont has won seven-straight games
• Vermont leads the America East in scoring offense
• Following the spring's unique two-division schedule, the America East returned to its normal round-robin format for the fall, and its full six-team postseason pool

Scouting Vermont
Vermont won the America East regular season title for the first time since 1996 on the heels of a seven-game winning streak to close the season.  After losing their first two games against America East opponents, the Catamounts ran the table in the conference and finished the year as the conference's highest-scoring team, averaging 1.75 goals per game. 
 
Last Time vs. Vermont
UAlbany began its final two-game homestand of the 2021 regular season against Vermont, who arrived at the game as the hottest team in the America East.  Despite creating numerous chances, and outshooting the Catamounts 20-6 over the course of the game, UAlbany suffered a 2-0 defeat.  Vermont was able to hold on defense and took advantage of its few opportunities to hand UAlbany a setback after the Great Danes had tied then-first place Hartford and defeated then-first place UMass Lowell on the road to climb into playoff contention.
 
Last Time Out
For the second time in four days, UAlbany played Binghamton.  The Great Danes visited the Bearcats to close the regular season and then hosted them in the America East quarterfinal.  Binghamton had struggled to close the season, failing to score a goal in their final four games.  In the quarterfinal, the Great Danes scored two goals in the second half, by Jada Colbert and Brooke Pickett, and once again held Binghamton without a score, to advance to Thursday's semifinal round against top-seed Vermont.
 
Around the America East
Four teams remain in the America East postseason.  Top seeds Vermont and UMass Lowell will host quarterfinal winners UAlbany and New Hampshire, respectively, in the semifinal rounds.  UAlbany defeated five-seed Binghamton 2-0 following two goals in the second half, while New Hampshire upset three-seed NJIT, advancing past the Highlanders 5-4 in penalty kicks.
 
Common Opponents

• Stony Brook
  • UAlbany: 9/19 at Stony Brook, L, 1-2
  • Vermont: 9/26 vs. Stony Brook, L, 0-3
• Siena
  • UAlbany: 9/22 at Siena, T, 1-1 (2OT)
  • Vermont: 8/27 at Siena, W, 3-2
• New Hampshire
  • UAlbany: 9/26 vs. New Hampshire, T, 1-1 (2OT)
  • Vermont: 10/28 vs. New Hampshire, W, 3-0
• Hartford
  • UAlbany: 9/30 at Hartford, T, 1-1 (2OT)
  • Vermont: 10/10 at Hartford, W, 2-0
• Maine
  • UAlbany: 10/3 vs. Maine, W, 1-0
  • Vermont: 9/30 at Maine, W, 2-0
• UMass Lowell
  • UAlbany: 10/10 at UMass Lowell, W, 1-0 (OT)
  • Vermont: 10/17 at UMass Lowell, W, 2-1
• UMBC
  • UAlbany: 10/17 vs. UMBC, W, 4-0
  • Vermont: 10/24 at UMBC, W, 3-1
• NJIT
  • UAlbany:10/24 at NJIT, L, 0-1 (OT)
  • Vermont: 10/3 vs. NJIT, W, 2-0
• Binghamton
  • UAlbany: 10/28 at Binghamton, W, 1-0; 10/31 vs. Binghamton, W, 2-0
  • Vermont: 9/19 at Binghamton, L, 0-1
• UAlbany (5-2-3) | Binghamton (7-2-0)
• Head-to-head: 10/14, Vermont 2, UAlbany 0 (at UAlbany)

Thursday's America East Games

• #4 UAlbany at #1 Vermont, 6:00 pm
• #6 New Hampshire at #2 UMass Lowell, 7:00 pm

First Start
Sophomore strike Brooke Pickett made her first start as a Great Dane, taking the field in the quarterfinal match against Binghamton.  In the second half, she scored her first career goal to put UAlbany up 2-0 and seal the victory to advance the Great Danes to the America East semifinal.  Pickett had a stellar career at Stillwater High School, scoring 208 career goals while earning All-America honors in 2018 and 2019.
 
Quarterfinal
UAlbany hosted five-seed Binghamton in the 2021 America East quarterfinal round, their second game in four days against the Bearcats.  The Great Danes needed to defeat Binghamton, then second in the America East standings, to make the postseason.  They came through, and with help, not only made the field but earned hosting rights for the quarterfinals and dropped Binghamton to fifth.  In the quarterfinal, Jada Colbert and Brooke Pickett scored in the second half to push the Great Danes past the Bearcats 2-0 into the semifinals.
 
All-Conference
The Great Danes saw three players earn 2021 America East All-Conference honors following the conclusion of the regular season.  Striker Jasmine Colbert, UAlbany's leading scorer and the second leading scorer in the conference, earned All-Conference First Team honors for the second-straight season, following up her 2020-21 Striker of the Year campaign.  Midfielder Olivia Piraino joined Colbert on the First Team as UAlbany's second leading scorer.  Finally, Cassandra Coster was named to the All-Rookie Team, having finished the regular season leading the conference goalkeepers in save percentage after taking over in teammate Sophia Chen's absence.
 
Clinched
Sitting in seventh place in the standings and one spot out of the playoff field to start the final day of the regular season, the Great Danes gutted out a 1-0 victory at Binghamton to earn three more points.  The win, with help from losses by New Hampshire and Hartford, saw the Great Danes jump all the way to fourth and earn hosting rights in the quarterfinal round.  Binghamton, who started the day in second place, fell to fifth with the defeat, and will travel to UAlbany for their quarterfinal game.
 
Seniors
The 2021 Great Danes have seven seniors on the roster: Caitlyn Adams, Chloe Argenziano, Christina Cernuto, Jada Colbert, Jasmine Colbert, Kelsey Murphy, and Amanda O'Brien.  They are the final seven holdovers from UAlbany's last America East title, their record-setting 2018 team.  Additionally, three players, Sophia Chen, Sophia Eifler, and Hailey Summers, exercised their extra year of eligibility to return to UAlbany to play one final season.  The team's senior game against UMBC went off without a hitch, with the Great Danes winning by their most lopsided margin of the season, 4-0, with Cernuto scoring a goal off the bench.
 
Player of the Week
Freshman goalkeeper Cassandra Coster back-to-back shutout victories over Maine and UMass Lowell earned her first America East weekly awards in her career.  Coster was recognized as the conference's Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week on October 11 for her efforts against the Black Bears and the River Hawks, recording a career-high 11 saves against the latter.  It was also the first time this season a Great Dane had won a weekly award.
 
Overtime Madness
Against UMass Lowell on October 10, UAlbany went into overtime for the fifth time this season.  Each of the first four overtime matches ended in a tie after 110 minutes of play.  The game against UMass Lowell, at the time 4-0-0 against America East opponents and leading the conference standings, broke that trend, with Jasmine Colbert scoring in the 93rd minute to give UAlbany its first victory in extra time all season.
 
Tying Up
For three games in a row, at Siena, vs. New Hampshire, and at Hartford, the Great Danes recorded a result of a 1-1, double-overtime tie.  In the first two games, UAlbany took the lead and let up the equalizer later, and against Hartford, the first-place Hawks scored first only for UAlbany to respond and force overtime.  The streak ended at home against Maine, a 1-0 victory.  An additional streak for the Great Danes remains active, six straight games scoring exactly one goal.
 
Streak Ender
With her unassisted goal in the 62nd minute at Hartford, Jada Colbert ended a streak where the Hawks had not conceded a goal at home to that point in the season.  Hartford had not allowed a goal at home for 361 total minutes, into their fifth home game, before Colbert found the back of the net.  The last goal Hartford conceded at home was in the 14th minute of the game against New Hampshire by Ally Reynolds on October 20, 2019, since the Hawks did not play in the 2021 spring season, adding 291 minutes to their streak dating to that game.
 
Breaking Through
The Great Danes' first victory of the season came in their fifth game, against Yale, and featured a barrage of scoring with both teams combining for a total of seven goals.  UAlbany defeated the Bulldogs 4-3, scoring three goals in the second half.  Yale scored within the first two minutes, in what looked like the start of a repeat of the last meeting between the two teams in 2019 when Yale won 4-0.  UAlbany tied the game before halftime however, before ceding another goal to the Bulldogs shortly after the second half.  UAlbany scored the next three goals, including an own-goal from Yale to go up 4-2, before Yale scored on a PK to cut the lead to one.  The Bulldogs earned three corner kicks in the final minute of the game, the second of which nearly resulted in an equalizer if not for UAlbany goalkeeper Sophia Chen turning it away.
 
Schedule Shakeup
Four of UAlbany's first five games on the 2021 calendar have required adjustments from their original plans.  The opener at Syracuse was cancelled due to inclement weather.  The second game, the home opener against Hofstra, was moved up two hours to avoid weather from Tropical Storm Henri.  The third game, at CCSU, was pushed back one hour to avoid excessive heat.  Most recently, the team's road game at Quinnipiac was cancelled due to inclement weather.
 
Top Drawer Soccer Preseason America East Top-20

• Jasmine Colbert – 2
• Hailey Summers – 4
• Olivia Piraino - 20

Picked Fifth
The Great Danes were picked to finish fifth in the 2021 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll.  UAlbany drew 52 points in fifth place behind two-time defending conference champion and unanimous favorite Stony Brook.  The Seawolves pulled in 81 total points and all nine possible first-place votes.  UMass Lowell was second, garnering the final first-place vote and 67 total points.  Binghamton (61) and New Hampshire (52) were picked just ahead of UAlbany.  Behind the Great Danes, perennial power Hartford was picked sixth with 50 points, followed by Vermont (28), Maine and NJIT (20), and UMBC (17).
 
Captains
The UAlbany women's soccer team features three captains for the 2021-22 season in goalkeeper Sophia Chen, midfielder Sophia Eifler, and defender Hailey Summers.  Each was a sophomore on the team for UAlbany's most recent America East title in 2018, and each has elected to utilize their additional year of eligibility to return to UAlbany this season.
 
Colbert Connection
Three times in their careers, twin sisters Jada and Jasmine Colbert connected on a goal.  Jasmine set up Jada for the first goal of the 2019 game against UMass Lowell.  Earlier in the 2019 season, against St. Francis Brooklyn, the twins connected for the first time in their UAlbany careers, when Jada set up Jasmine to put UAlbany up 2-0 right after halftime.  Most recently, the twins connected when Jada set up Jasmine for the game-winner against Stony Brook in the spring 2021 season.
 
Home Field
The Great Danes finished the 2019 regular season unbeaten at home, going 6-0-2, before falling at home in the America East semifinals.  UAlbany went 8-1-1 at Casey Stadium in 2018, including quarterfinal and championship victories in the America East Tournament.  The Great Danes let up just eight goals in 10 games at home in 2019, and just two in the last five.  Dating back to the 2015 season, the year of the program's first America East title, and to date in the 2021 fall season, the Great Danes are 35-15-4 at home.
 
Next: The winner of Thursday's game advances to the America East final on November 7.