ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany women's lacrosse program plays a second-straight road game to open the 2020 season, visiting Yale in search of their first victory.
 
Game Info
Saturday, February 22 at Yale (1:00 p.m.)
Live Stats | ESPN+
 
Leading the Pack

• Yale is 1-0 at home this season, after going 5-3 last year
• UAlbany went 3-6 on the road last season, and is 1-1 lifetime at Yale
• Yale ranks 11th nationally in draw control percentage, and 16th in scoring offense
• Freshman Clancy Rheude ranks second in the America East in ground balls and fourth in draw controls

 
Scouting Yale
Yale opened their season last weekend against La Salle, defeating the Explorers 16-12.  The Bulldogs went 6-9 overall in 2019, including 1-6 in the Ivy League, and ended the season on a three-game skid.  Yale was picked seventh in the Ivy League Preseason Poll this year, and feature a 29-player squad that includes 19 freshmen and sophomores.  UAlbany is 3-1 in four meetings against the Bulldogs, with three of the four matches decided by just two goals.
 
Last Time vs. Yale
The Great Danes hosted the Bulldogs in their 2019 season opener, coming away with a 15-13 victory in first-year head coach Katie Rowan Thompson's debut on the UAlbany sidelines.  Yale scored two quick goals to take an early lead before UAlbany clawed back to go up 4-3 mid-way through the first half.  Soon after, Yale surged to a 9-5 halftime lead by commanding the draw controls in the first 30 minutes.  The Bulldogs maintained their four-goal lead until the Danes cut it to one with 13:51 to go.  After Yale went back up by two, UAlbany rolled off the final four goals of the game in the last 5:47 to secure a 15-13 victory.  Kendra Harbinger scored four goals, while Hailey Carroll added three, and Kyla Zapolski and Sam Tortora each scored twice.
 
Last Time Out
The Great Danes opened the season visiting head coach Katie Rowan Thomson's alma mater, #4 Syracuse, last weekend.  Syracuse had just been upset by defending America East champion and then-#12 Stony Brook in the Carrier Dome, 17-16, in their previous game.  Against UAlbany, the Orange jumped out to an 8-0 halftime lead, and ultimately scored the first 11 goals of the game before winning 15-3.  For UAlbany, Hailey Carroll, Julia Imbo, and Jordyn Marr provided the scoring.
 
Around the America East
Stony Brook stands alone as the last unbeaten team in the America East at 2-0.  Behind the Seawolves, New Hampshire and UMass Lowell are tied for second at 1-1, while UMBC and Vermont are tied for fourth at 1-2.  UAlbany, Binghamton, and Hartford remain winless, with the Great Danes 0-1 on the early part of the season, and the Bearcats and Hawks each 0-2.
 
Saturday's America East Games

• UAlbany at Yale, 1:00 p.m.
• Mount St. Mary's (Md.) at Binghamton (3:00 p.m.)

 
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.
 
Haudenosaunee International
The UAlbany coaching staff spent two stints with the Haudenosaunee national program in the summer and fall of 2019, first with the U-19 team and next with the senior national squad.  Head coach Katie Rowan Thomson and assistant coaches Taylor Frink and Leah Gallagher served as assistant coaches under Ronnie Davis, the former head coach of Monroe Community College, on the sidelines for Haudenosaunee in the U19 World Championships.  Haudenosaunee placed ninth overall, earning victories over Belgium, Israel, Mexico, and Hong Kong.  Later in the fall, Rowan Thomson and Gallagher once again found themselves on the Haudenosaunee sidelines, this time for the senior national team at the inaugural Pan-American Lacrosse World Qualifiers, presiding over a roster that included Frink on the attack.  Rowan Thomson and her assistants led Haudenosaunee to the gold medal, defeating Columbia, Jamaica, Mexico, and finally Puerto Rico in the championship game.  Frink played in all four games, scoring five goals with seven assists, finishing as the seventh-leading scorer in the tournament.  The World Women's Lacrosse Championships take place in July, 2021.
 
WPLL
For the second season, head coach Katie Rowan Thomson helmed the Pride of the Women's Professional Lacrosse League.  Joining Rowan Thomson on the sidelines was assistant coach Taylor Frink.  Rowan Thomson led the Pride to the WPLL semifinals against the Brave, bringing into the game the league's co-leading team in scoring.  The Pride and the Brave further combined to field three of the four players who shared the lead league in individual scoring.  The Brave defeated the Pride 15-10 to advance to the WPLL championship game against the Flight, ultimately claiming the league championship.
 
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 plays its third-straight road game to open the season on February 29 at Michigan.  The Danes host their 2020 home opener on March 7 against Canisius.