ALBANY, N.Y. – UAlbany women's soccer hosts Yale Thursday ahead of a second three-game road trip.
 
Game Info
Thursday, September 9 vs. Yale (7:00 pm)
Live Stats | AE.tv
 
Leading the Pack

• Three Great Danes have scored a goal this season, and two 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
• Yale has been outscored 15-3 this season
• Following the spring's unique two-division schedule, the America East returns to its normal round-robin format for the fall

Scouting Yale
Yale has started the season 0-4-0 after seeing their 2020 season cancelled due to COVID-19.  The Bulldogs opened the season with a 3-2 defeat against Buffalo, followed by a shutout loss at Quinnipiac.  Yale has played its last two at home, a 6-1 defeat to Oregon State and a 2-0 defeat to Colgate.  The Bulldogs were picked fourth and received one first-place vote in the 2021 Ivy League Preseason Poll, behind Brown, Harvard, and Princeton clustered at the top.  Yale returns nine starters from the 2019 season, accounting for 18 total goals and 60 total points.
 
Last Time vs. Yale
Yale was the final non-conference opponent UAlbany played in the 2019 season, and the Bulldogs handed UAlbany their most lopsided defeat of the season, 4-0.  The Bulldogs outshot UAlbany 15-0 in the first half and 30-4 overall, en route to snapping UAlbany's eight-game unbeaten streak.  Yale scored all four of its goals in the first half.
 
Last Time Out
UAlbany returned home following a three-game road swing to host UConn.  The Great Danes played their best first half of the season, creating multiple dangerous scoring opportunities while stifling the Huskies on the defensive end.  UConn broke through mid-way through the second half with a long-range score, before an unfortunate miscue led to an own goal against UAlbany.  UConn went on to win by the same score, 2-0.
 
Around the America East
Hartford has taken over sole possession of first place in the conference standings at 4-1-0 overall, just ahead of Vermont at 3-1-0.  Maine and UMBC are tied for third at 2-1-1, just ahead of UMass Lowell at 2-2-1, and Binghamton at 2-3-1.  Vermont and Hartford lead the conference in scoring, each with 10 goals, with Vermont's total coming in one fewer game than the Hawks'. 
 
Thursday's America East Games

• New Hampshire at Siena, 3:00 pm
• Fairleigh Dickinson at Stony Brook, 5:00 pm
• Longwood at UMBC, 7:00 pm
• Binghamton at Colgate, 7:00 pm
• Yale at UAlbany, 7:00 pm
• Hartford at Fairfield, 7:00 pm

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 33-15-4 at home.
 
Next: UAlbany visits Wagner on September 12.