ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany women's soccer team returns to the road after a brief respite at home to face off against first-place Hartford.
 
Game Info
Thursday, September 30 at Hartford (5:00 pm)
Live Stats | ESPN3
 
Leading the Pack

• Six Great Danes have scored a goal this season, and four 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
• Jasmine Colbert leads the America East in shots taken (40), 12 more than second place Jada Colbert, ranks fourth in goals scored (5), and third in total points (11)
• UAlbany is 4-2-2 in the last eight games against Hartford
• Following the spring's unique two-division schedule, the America East returns to its normal round-robin format for the fall

Scouting Hartford
Hartford is in first place in the America East at 7-1-1 overall and winners of their last three.  The Hawks also hold commanding leads over their conference opponents in scoring offense, averaging 2.00 goals per game, and in scoring defense, averaging 0.33 goals-against per game.  Six of Hartford's wins have come via shutout.  Since tying Fairfield on the road, Hartford has outscored its three subsequent opponents 7-0.  The Hawks did not play during the 2021 spring season, but went 10-7-2 in 2019 before falling to Stony Brook in the America East title game.  Each of the 11 most recent games in the series have been decided by one goal or fewer, with UAlbany 4-5-2 against the Hawks during that stretch.
 
Last Time vs. Hartford
The Great Danes last met the Hawks in the 2019 America East semifinal round, where the Hawks claimed a 3-2 victory, avenging a loss to UAlbany earlier in the season.  Hartford jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 16th minute before UAlbany's Leah Pais scored in the 31st to put UAlbany on the board.  Meghan Cavanaugh tied the game just after halftime in the 48th, but Hartford scored once more in the 70th to seal the victory.  UAlbany created two optimal scoring opportunities after Hartford's third goal but the Hawks' defense turned away each threat.  The semifinal was just the fourth time that season that Hartford had allowed more than one goal.
 
Last Time Out
The Great Danes returned home after spending their previous three games on the road to host New Hampshire in their second America East game of the season.  Jasmine Colbert scored her fifth goal of the season, matching her total from the spring, but New Hampshire scored in the 82nd minute to tie the game.  The Wildcats had a chance to win in regulation on a breakaway that came up short, and for the second-straight game UAlbany went into overtime.  Neither team was able to score, despite a 6-3 shot advantage following regulation for the Great Danes, and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
 
Around the America East
Hartford has won three-straight and climbed to 7-1-1 overall, maintaining their top spot in the America East standings.  The Hawks are one of three teams, with UMass Lowell and Stony Brook, at 2-0-0 in conference play.  The Seawolves currently hold the longest winning streak in the conference at four games.  UAlbany's tie with New Hampshire has jumped the Great Danes to eighth in the standings, ahead of winless-in-conference Maine and Vermont.  Hartford's Imani Jenkins is one of three players leading the conference with six goals scored, and leads the America East outright with 14 total points.
 
Common Opponents

• Siena
  • UAlbany: 9/22/21 at Siena, T, 1-1 (2OT)
  • Hartford: 9/12/21 vs. Siena, W, 3-0
• New Hampshire
  • UAlbany: 9/26/21 vs. New Hampshire, T, 1-1 (2OT)
  • Hartford: 9/19/21 vs. New Hampshire, W, 2-0

Thursday's America East Games

• UAlbany at Hartford, 5:00 pm
• UMass Lowell at New Hampshire, 6:00 pm
• UMBC at Binghamton, 6:00 pm
• Stony Brook at NJIT, 7:00 pm
• Vermont at Maine, 7:00 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.
 
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 through the 2021 spring season, the Great Danes are 34-15-5 at home.
 
Next: UAlbany hosts Maine on October 3.