ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany women's soccer team kicks off the 2023 season at home with a showdown against reigning CAA champion Hofstra at Casey Stadium.
 
Game Info
August 17, 2023 vs. Hofstra (7:00 pm)
Live Stats | ESPN+
Game Notes: UAlbany | Hofstra
 
Leading the Pack

• UAlbany is 6-2-0 in home openers since the start of the 2015 season
• UAlbany's last season-opening victory was in 2016 against Army West Point
• The Great Danes return each of its top-three scorers from 2022, Emily Jozak, Olivia Piraino, and Selma Elverum
• UAlbany retains players who scored 19 of the team's 26 goals a season ago
• UAlbany went 4-3-3 at home last season; Hofstra went 3-4-4 on the road

Scouting Hofstra
The Pride finished the 2022 regular season in eighth place in the CAA standings, but stormed through the competition field in the conference tournament to win their fifth CAA title in six seasons.  Hofstra was picked to finish third in the CAA Preseason Coaches' Poll and drew three first-place votes, the most of any team besides preseason favorite Monmouth, which drew six.  Wiktoria Fronc earned a spot on the Preseason All-CAA Team, while Dagn Run Petursdottir was an honorable mention.  Additionally, the Pride returns their leading scorer from 2022, Thorhildur Thorhallsdottir, who scored seven goals and added five assists in her freshman campaign.  Hofstra is 6-0-0 lifetime against UAlbany.
 
Last Time vs. Hofstra
UAlbany played its third road game of the 2022 season, visiting Hofstra on Long Island.  The Great Danes conceded an own-goal early in the game to fall behind, but locked down on defense for the remainder of the first half.  Hofstra came out in the second with two goals in the first 10 minutes to go up 3-0, which would prove to be the final score.
 
Last Time Out
The Great Danes last took the field on the road at Binghamton in the America East semifinal round.  The Bearcats previously visited UAlbany during the regular season, coming away with a 3-1 victory in Casey Stadium just three weeks earlier.  In the rematch, Binghamton scored to take the lead in the ninth minute.  Joanna Van Royen scored an equalizer just after halftime, with Selma Elverum scoring to give UAlbany the lead just under 10 minutes of game time later.  Binghamton tied the game at two in the 80th minute to force overtime.  In the first overtime of two periods, Binghamton scored less than four minutes in only for Van Royen to tie the game in the 99th.  The game went into a penalty shootout, with the Bearcats advancing to the America East final 3-2 in PKs.
 
Around the America East
All nine teams in the conference open their season on Thursday, August 17.  Defending champion New Hampshire hosts Stonehill while preseason favorite and 2022 regular-season champion Binghamton visits Fairfield.  America East schools went 4-3-1 on opening day last year.
 
Thursday's America East Games

• Le Moyne at Maine, 1:00 pm
• Stonehill at New Hampshire, 4:00 pm
• Binghamton at Fairfield, 4:00 pm
• Vermont at Boston University, 6:00 pm
• Mount St. Mary's at NJIT, 6:00 pm
• Hofstra at UAlbany, 7:00 pm
• Hampton at UMBC, 7:00 pm
• UMass Lowell at Merrimack, 7:00 pm
• Bryant at Rhode Island, 7:00 pm

Rookie of the Year
After leading the Great Danes in scoring, freshman forward Emily Jozak was named the 2022 America East Rookie of the Year.  Jozak led UAlbany in 2022 with seven goals, ranking in a tie for third-highest total in the America East.  Jozak was also named America East Rookie of the Week three times, including after she tied the single-game program records with three goals and six points against Rider in the Great Danes' first victory of the season.  Jozak is UAlbany's seventh Rookie of the Year winner, following Teresa Boring (2007), Chelsea DeVerna (2009), Vivian Vega (2014), Meghan Cavanaugh (2016), Jasmine Colbert (2018), and Leah Pais (2019).
 
Mainstays
Since earning their first postseason berth during the 2009 season, UAlbany women's soccer has qualified for all but two postseason tournaments, missing out only in 2013 and in the COVID-affected 2020-21 season.  Overall, UAlbany is 13-7-2, in America East postseason matches, with three America East championships.
 
Picked Fifth
For the third-straight season, UAlbany was picked to finish fifth in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll.  The Great Danes finished the 2022 regular season in fifth place and advanced to the conference semifinal round against top-seed Binghamton.  The Bearcats narrowly edged 2022 champion New Hampshire as the 2023 preseason favorite.
 
Home Field
UAlbany has been excellent within the confines of Tom & Mary Casey Stadium for the better part of the last decade, boasting a 40-19-8 record at home since the start of the 2015 season, the year of the program's first America East title.  The Great Danes went 4-3-3 at home in 2022, and between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, UAlbany was 14-1-3, including a 2019 season in which they gave up just eight goals at home while going 8-0-1 during the regular season.
 
Next: UAlbany hosts La Salle on August 20.