ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany women's lacrosse team plays its third-straight game on the road to open the season, visiting #14 Michigan before next weekend's home opener.
 
Game Info
Saturday, February 29 at #14 Michigan (12:00 p.m.)
Live Stats | BTN+
 
Leading the Pack

• Georgia Schneidereith leads the America East in save percentage
• UAlbany ranks second in the America East in scoring defense
• Michigan ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring defense
• UAlbany is 1-7 against current Big Ten member institutions

 
Scouting Michigan
Michigan enters Saturday's game 3-1 overall and ranked #14 nationally.  The Wolverines can boast a victory this season over then #18 Colorado, 20-7.  Their lone defeat came against then #16 Southern Cal, 10-8.  Michigan went 16-4 in 2019, their best in program history, including 10-1 at home, advancing to the Big Ten semifinal round and the NCAA Tournament Second Round.  The Wolverines were picked to finish third in the Big Ten preseason poll, and earned a preseason national ranking of ninth.  Michigan returns 27 players from last year's roster, accounting for 77% of 2019's scoring.  Saturday will mark the first meeting between the two programs.
 
Last Time Out
The Great Danes visited Yale last weekend, looking to bounce back from their lopsided defeat at Syracuse to open the season the week before.  After Yale scored six-straight goals to lead 8-4 at halftime, UAlbany outscored the Bulldogs 8-1 in the second half to win 12-9.  The Great Danes scored each of the last five goals of the game to seal the victory, led by sophomore attack Hailey Carroll, who scored all five of her goals after halftime.  In goal, Georgia Schneidereith recorded a career-high 14 saves, allowing just one goal after the break.
 
Around the America East
Stony Brook has climbed to #3 in the latest national rankings after starting the season 2-0 with defeats over current #4 Syracuse and Ohio State.  UAlbany and UMBC are each .500 on the early season in second place, followed by New Hampshire at 1-2.  Binghamton, UMass Lowell, and Vermont are locked together at 1-3 overall, and Hartford still seeks its first victory at 0-4.
 
Saturday's America East Games

• Stony Brook at Florida, 12:00 p.m.
• UAlbany at Michigan, 12:00 p.m.
• Hartford at Holy Cross, 1:00 p.m.
• Binghamton at Marist, 1:00 p.m.

 
Players of the Week
Following their come-from-behind victory at Yale, the America East bestowed UAlbany with two weekly awards.  Hailey Carroll was named Offensive Player of the Week and Georgia Schneidereith was named Defensive Player of the Week.  Carroll led UAlbany with five goals against the Bulldogs, all five of which came in the second half.  Schneidereith recorded a career-high 14 saves in net, allowing just one goal in the second half.  For both Carroll and Schneidereith, it was the first such weekly honor of their respective careers.
 
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 finally plays its 2020 home opener on Saturday, March 7 against Canisius.