ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany women's soccer team embarks on its 2023 America East slate with a visit to NJIT this weekend.
 
Game Info
September 17, 2023 at NJIT (1:00 pm)
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Game Notes
 
Leading the Pack

• UAlbany is 1-3-0 on the road this season; NJIT is 3-0-3 at home
• Eight Great Danes have scored a goal this season
• Seven of UAlbany's goals have been scored after halftime
• NJIT ranks second in the America East in scoring offense; UAlbany ranks fifth
• NJIT ranks fifth in the America East in scoring defense; UAlbany ranks eighth

Scouting NJIT
The Highlanders are one of four America East teams with three victories on the season before the start of conference play, and sit fourth in the overall standings.  NJIT's four ties are the most in the conference to this point in the season.  The Highlanders are winless since defeating Fairleigh Dickinson 3-2 on September 3, having since tied La Salle and Wagner, and then suffered their worst defeat of the season, 5-0 at Columbia on Wednesday.  In its three victories, NJIT has outscored its opponents 13-2, with seven goals coming against Saint Peter's.  The Highlanders return 21 players from last year's squad, including All-Rookie selections Ciara Adams and Riley Jones.  Gabby Zalot shares the league lead with four assists.  UAlbany is 4-1-1 in six Division I-era meetings against NJIT.
 
Last Time vs. NJIT
October 16, 2022 | UAlbany hosted NJIT for its 2022 senior day, honoring the five members of the 2022 senior class: Tiffany Bernot, Savannah Edwards, Natasha Fowler-Varon, Marisa Tava, and Sahara Zingano.  Freshman Emily Jozak scored her sixth goal of the season to put UAlbany up 1-0 53rd minute.  NJIT broke through in the 71st to tie the game, and neither team found the back of the net again.  UAlbany outshot NJIT 21-9 overall, including 13-5 in the second half, but the Great Danes were unable to capitalize on their chances.  The one point gained from the tie, however, secured UAlbany's spot in the 2022 America East postseason tournament.
 
Last Time Out
UAlbany played its penultimate non-conference opponent of the 2023 regular season, paying a visit to Army West Point.  The Great Danes outshot the Black Knights, but the Black Knights were more efficient with their shots, scoring three goals while allowing none.  Only six of UAlbany's 17 shots were on target, three of which came from senior midfielder Ashley Ladner, who made her first start of the season.
 
Around the America East
Heading into the first round of conference play, Maine remains unbeaten on the season at 5-0-3.  Vermont also has five victories, paired with two losses.  Four teams, Bryant, NJIT, New Hampshire, and UAlbany, each have recorded victories in three games.  UMBC has won twice and Binghamton once, while UMass Lowell has yet to win its first game.
 
Sunday's America East Games

• UAlbany at NJIT, 1:00 pm
• Bryant at UMBC, 1:00 pm
• UMass Lowell at Dartmouth, 1:00 pm
• Binghamton at New Hampshire, 2:00 pm
• Vermont at Maine, 3:00 pm

 Common Opponents

• La Salle
  • UAlbany: Aug. 20 vs. La Salle, L, 0-1
  • NJIT: Sept. 7 vs. La Salle, T, 1-1

Back Heavy
Through its first six games of the 2023 season, seven of the UAlbany women's soccer program's eight total goals have been scored in the second half.  The Great Danes are, on average, scoring in the 61st minute.
 
Spread the Wealth
In its first six games of the 2023 season, the UAlbany women's soccer program scored eight goals.  Each goal was scored by a different player, including two goals from defenders Charlotte Takacsy and Devon Schmitt.  Takacsy is the early-season leader in total points as the only player to tally a goal and an assist.
 
First Time
In the first game of her senior-year season, the 42nd appearance of her career, defender Charlotte Takacsy scored her first career goal as a Great Dane.  Takacsy capitalized on a rebound following a serve from a corner kick to put UAlbany up 2-1 over Hofstra in the 71st minute of the season opener and clinch the game for the Great Danes.
 
Backloaded
During the 2022 season, UAlbany scored 26 total goals in 20 games, for an average of 1.30 goals per game.  However, the Great Danes were shut out in each of their first four games of the season, and subsequently scored their 26 goals in the final 16 games, for an average of 1.63 goals per game.
 
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 42-19-8 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 Maine on September 24.