ALBANY, N.Y. – UAlbany women's soccer embarks on a second three-game road swing on Sunday with a trip to Wagner.
 
Game Info
Sunday, September 12 at Wagner (1:00 pm)
Live Stats | NEC Front Row
 
Leading the Pack

• Five Great Danes have scored a goal this season, and four have recorded an assist
• Sophia Chen ranks fourth in the America East in total saves (27)
• 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
• Sixteen of Wagner's 25 roster members are freshmen or sophomores
• Following the spring's unique two-division schedule, the America East returns to its normal round-robin format for the fall

Scouting Wagner
Since starting the season 2-0, with victories over Rider and Saint Peter's, Wagner has dropped each of its last three, and has not scored in its last two.  Wagner has been outscored 7-1 during its three-game slide.  The Seahawks return 2020-21 NEC All-Rookie selection Alexa Rispoli, as well as goalkeeper Erin Kelly, who led the NEC in the spring in total saves and saves per game.  Additionally, forward Caitlin Filja has been selected to represent Albania at the World Cup qualifiers.
 
Last Time vs. Wagner
UAlbany and Wagner have played five times during the Great Danes' Division I era, but not since 2004.  UAlbany is 2-2-1 against Wagner since 1999, winning the last meeting in 2004 by a score of 2-1.
 
Last Time Out
UAlbany rallied from a 2-1 deficit early in the second half against Yale to score three unanswered and hold on in the final minute to knock off the Bulldogs by a final score of 4-3 to win their first game of the season.  Yale scored early, in the second minute, before UAlbany tied the game before halftime.  After Yale scored early in the second half to retake the lead, UAlbany scored the next three, including an own goal by the Bulldogs, to go up 4-2.  Yale cut the lead to one on a PK before drawing three corner kicks in the 90th minute, nearly scoring on their second of three before Sophia Chen made the save to secure the Great Danes' victory.
 
Around the America East
Hartford, at 4-1-1, remains atop the America East standings, ahead of Maine, who at 2-1-1 is now in sole possession of second place.  UMBC is third at 2-1-2, followed by Vermont and UMass Lowell, each of which have secured three victories.  With their first won of the season, UAlbany has climbed to eighth, while two-time defending champion Stony Brook, against whom UAlbany will open conference play next week, is currently at the bottom of the standings at 1-4-1.  All 10 teams in the conference will be active on Sunday.
 
Sunday's America East Games

• St. Francis Brooklyn at Binghamton, 12:00 pm
• UAlbany at Wagner, 1:00 pm
• Siena at Hartford, 1:00 pm
• Saint Joseph's at Stony Brook, 1:00 pm
• New Hampshire at Boston University, 1:00 pm
• UMBC at Mount St. Mary's, 1:00 pm
• Marist at Maine, 1:00 pm
• UMass Lowell at Drexel, 2:00 pm
• NJIT at Lafayette, 2:00 pm
• Bryant at Vermont, 4:00 pm 

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.
 
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 through the 2021 spring season, the Great Danes are 34-15-4 at home.
 
Next: UAlbany opens America East competition on September 19 at two-time defending conference champion Stony Brook.