Score: La Salle 1, UAlbany 0
 
Location: Tom & Mary Casey Stadium in Albany, N.Y.
 
Records: UAlbany (1-1-0) | La Salle (1-1-0)
 
Short Story: Women's soccer suffers its first defeat on the 2023 season, falling 1-0 to visiting La Salle.
 
Key Stats

• Megan Hart recorded all five of her saves in the second half
• La Salle outshot UAlbany 14-8
• The teams combined for 17 shots in the second half
• Olivia Piraino and Joanna Van Royen each took three shots
• La Salle head coach Paul Royal earned his 200th career victory

Head Coach Sade Ayinde: "It's a tough one to lose because we created some good chances, and coming off a good result on Thursday, it would have been great to get a result tonight.  We will bounce back and grow from this game.  Another tough weekend ahead but we are excited to get another chance to play at Brown on Friday."

How it Happened

• Fresh of its first season-opening win since 2016, the University at Albany women's soccer team hosted a second-straight game at home, welcoming Atlantic 10 rival La Salle to Casey Stadium on Sunday afternoon.  In last year's meeting, La Salle came away with a 2-1 victory in Philadelphia.  At stake for the Great Danes was the opportunity to start a season 2-0-0 for the first time since 2018 and just the second time in the program's Division I era.
• La Salle played Sunday's game without their starting goalkeeper from their season opener, who was assessed a red card after handling the ball outside the box during the Explorers' game against Towson.
• La Salle came out aggressively, outshooting UAlbany 4-1 in the first half, earning three corner kicks, and committing three offsides violations.  The Great Danes' defense held against the pressure, not allowing a shot on goal and keeping goalkeeper Megan Hart untested through the first 45 minutes.
• In the 55th minute, La Salle's Emily Banashefski redirected a corner kick to the low corner of the near post, only to be denied by Tiffany Bernot covering that spot while Hart covered the middle on the service.
• La Salle broke through in the 60th minute to take a 1-0 lead.  Ricshya Walker took a shot off the post that rebounded at the feed of Haley Gschrey who found the back of the net to put the Explorers on top.
• Joanna Van Royen, fired off two shots in two minutes, in the 65th and 67th minutes, the first of which was saved by La Salle goalkeeper Gabby Neal, and the second of which missed wide left.  All three of Van Royen's shots came after the 65th minute, and she accounted for three of UAlbany's final five shots of the game.
• La Salle held on to win by the same score, 1-0, securing their first victory of the season, and the 200th for their head coach, Paul Royal.  Hart finished the game with five saves in net, all in the second half. 

Next: UAlbany visits Brown on August 25.