ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany women's lacrosse team kicks of head coach Katie Rowan Thompson's second season at the helm with a visit to Rowan Thomson's alma mater Syracuse on Saturday.
 
Game Info
Saturday, February 15 vs. #4 Syracuse (10:00 a.m.)
Live Stats | ACCNX
 
Leading the Pack

• UAlbany returns 32 of 33 players from last year's team (97.0%)
• UAlbany returns 98% of its scoring from 2019, including its 11 top scorers
• Five returning players from last year scored 48 or more points, and four scored 55 or more
• The Great Danes also return all three goalkeepers who saw game action last season
• Syracuse currently leads the NCAA in assists per game, ranks second nationally in draw controls per game, and ranks third in points per game

 
Scouting Syracuse
Syracuse is the #4-ranked team in the country, but arrives at Saturday's game 1-1 overall, having just lost to Stony Brook 17-16.  Last season the Orange advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament, falling to #1 Boston College, and to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, falling to #4 Northwestern.  Syracuse senior Emily Hawryschuk leads the nation in goals scored with 13.  The Orange return six of their top seven scorers from last season.  In 12 meetings against the Orange, UAlbany has yet to claim its first victory.
 
Last Time vs. Syracuse
Falling as the third of four-straight road games in the middle of the 2019 season, the Great Danes visited #4 Syracuse for their 10th game of the year, marking head coach Katie Rowan Thomson's first trip to her alma mater at the helm of UAlbany.  Despite a hat trick from eventual 2019 America East Rookie of the Year Hailey Carroll, Syracuse dominated the draw control 20-7, while outshooting the Danes 33-10.  The Orange went on to win comfortably, 19-7.
 
Around the America East
UAlbany is one of three America East teams to have yet see their season start.  New Hampshire, Stony Brook, UMass Lowell, and Vermont all won their season openers, while Binghamton dropped theirs.  Still waiting to start alongside the Great Danes is UMBC and Hartford.  Stony Brook highlighted the opening matches, defeating #4 Syracuse on the road 17-16.
 
Saturday's America East Games

• UAlbany at #4 Syracuse, 10:00 am
• Ohio St. at Stony Brook, 12:00 pm
• VCU at UMBC, 12:00 pm

 
Schedule Strength
UAlbany once again faces a formidable schedule in 2020.  Three of the Danes' 16 regular-season opponents earned national preseason rankings, including #8 Michigan, #12 Stony Brook, and #4 Syracuse, head coach Katie Rowan Thomson's alma mater, against whom UAlbany will play its season-opener.
 
Mainstays
The UAlbany women's lacrosse team has made nine-straight trips to the America East title game, winning the conference tournament in 2011 and 2012.  For each of the last eight, the Great Danes have met Stony Brook in the final.
 
Full Cupboard
The 2020 Great Danes return 32 of 33 players from the 2019 roster, including the entire starting roster and all 13 America East All-Conference selections from a year ago.  Among the returners are 2020 America East Offensive Player of the Year Madison Conway, 2020 America East Rookie of the Year Hailey Carroll, and 2019 America East Rookie of the Year Kendra Harbinger.  Additionally, the Great Danes bring back Sam Tortora, who is the program's record-holder for career assists, as well as 2019 All-Conference First Team selections Imani Hedgeman, Jordyn Marr, and Kyla Zapolski.  In total, UAlbany returns all but five goals from last year's offense, while adding eight new freshmen to the roster.
 
Picked Second
For the eighth-straight season, UAlbany was picked to finish second in the America East Preseason Coaches' poll.  The Danes pulled in 42 total points and one first-place vote, falling in seven points behind defending conference champion Stony Brook, who was picked unanimously for the eighth-straight season.
 
PLL in Albany
In its inaugural season, Premier Lacrosse League hosted one of its weekends of competition at Casey Stadium on UAlbany's campus.  The league announced on April 22, 2019 that UAlbany would serve as a host site on August 24-25.  Among the players in the PLL were a eight former Great Danes, including Miles Thompson, Ty Thompson, Connor Fields, Kyle McClancey, and Blaze Riorden.  The first of three games in Albany the Atlas vs. the Chaos, was played in front of a sellout crowd of 6,472 fans, and saw Chaos starts Myles Thompson score twice, Troy Rey, McClancey, and Fields score once, and Riorden record 13 saves.
 
2019 in Review
The Great Danes debuted a new head coach in 2019 in former assistant Katie Rowan, who returned to UAlbany after a three-year stint as head coach at Wagner College.  Under Rowan's guidance, UAlbany finished 11-7 overall and earned a spot in their ninth-straight America East title game.  The Danes' 2019 schedule featured four ranked opponents, including Rowan's alma mater Syracuse, as well as #1 Boston College.
 
Decade Recap
UAlbany finished the 2010s 126-51 overall, making nine trips to the America East title game, winning two America East championships, and qualifying for four NCAA Tournaments.  In 2011, the Danes won a program-record 18 games, including the program's first NCAA Tournament victory, over Dartmouth in the First Round.  In each of the last seven seasons, UAlbany has suffered just one regular-season conference defeat.
 
Next: UAlbany visits Yale on Saturday, February 22.