ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany women's soccer team visits Binghamton to close the 2021 regular season with a playoff bid on the line amidst a clustered America East standings.
 
Game Info
UAlbany (4-7-4, 3-3-2) at Binghamton (8-6-3, 4-2-2)
Thursday, October 28 (7:00 pm)
Live Stats | ESPN+
 
Leading the Pack

• Eight Great Danes have scored a goal this season, and six have recorded an assist
• UAlbany returns five All-Conference players from the spring season, including spring Strike of the Year Jasmine Colbert
• Colbert led UAlbany with five goals in the spring, all five of which were game-winners
• UAlbany also returns defensive starters Hailey Summers and Sophia Eifler, and goalkeeper Sophia Chen, alongside spring All-Rookie selections Olivia Piraino and Margot Nezaj
• UAlbany is 1-4-3 on the road this season; Binghamton is 5-1-1 at home
• Jasmine Colbert leads the America East in shots taken (69), 14 more than second place, twin sister Jada, and ranks second in goals scored (8) and total points (17)
• Cassandra Coster leads the America East in save percentage (.869) and ranks third in goals-against average (0.82)
• Binghamton ranks second in the America East in scoring defense
• UAlbany and Binghamton share the America East lead in total shots taken
• Binghamton's Maya Anand ranks third in the America East in goals scored
• Following the spring's unique two-division schedule, the America East returns to its normal round-robin format for the fall

Scouting Binghamton
The Bearcats are currently second in the America East standings and are one of two teams to have clinched a spot in the 2021 America East Tournament.  Binghamton is 8-6-3 overall, but has gone 0-1-2 without scoring a goal in its last three.  The Bearcats went 6-2-0 during the spring and advanced to the America East title game, falling to Stony Brook 1-0.  UAlbany is 3-2-1 against Binghamton in the last six meetings, but has gone 3-0-2 against the Bearcats in the last five games in Vestal.
 
Last Time vs. Binghamton
UAlbany hosted Binghamton during the 2021 spring season, falling to the Bearcats 2-1.  Binghamton scored first, with Erin Theiller connecting in the 27th minute.  UAlbany responded in the 69th, when Olivia Pirano converted a setup from Jada Colbert.  Finally, with time winding down, Binghamton scored in the 90th minute, with 12 seconds remaining in regulation, to clinch the victory at the last moment.  The Bearcats held a narrow advantage in shots taken, 13-9, over the course of the game, while both goalkeepers made two saves.
 
Last Time Out
The Great Danes suffered a setback defeat at NJIT over the weekend, falling in overtime to the Highlanders 1-0.  The game's most consequential play, except for the Highlanders' game-winning goal, came in the 27th minute when Jasmine Colbert was assessed a red card and removed from the game, leaving UAlbany with just 10 players for the remainder of the afternoon.  UAlbany controlled the first half, outshooting NJIT 9-2, but fell behind in the second half, seeing NJIT hold an 8-3 shots advantage.  The Highlanders, after a scoreless 90 minutes, broke through in overtime on a transition play that left UAlbany goalkeeper Cassandra Coster one-on-one with Christine Conaghy, who scored to clinch the game for NJIT in the 94th minute.
 
Around the America East
Vermont has clinched the 2021 America East regular-season title, their first since 1996, as well as the top overall seed in the America East Tournament and the quarterfinal bye and the home-field advantage that comes with it.  Behind the Catamounts, only Binghamton has clinched a spot in the tournament.  The top eight teams are separated by just eight points.  UAlbany is currently seventh, but could mathematically jump as high as third, and their game against Binghamton kicks off later than every other game on Thursday's final day of the regular season.
 
Common Opponents

• Cornell
  • UAlbany: 8/29 at Cornell, T, 2-2 (2OT)
  • Binghamton: 9/15 at Cornell, W, 3-1
• Stony Brook
  • UAlbany: 9/19 at Stony Brook, L, 1-2
  • Binghamton: 10/14 at Stony Brook, T, 0-0 (2OT)
• Siena
  • UAlbany: 9/22 at Siena, T, 1-1 (2OT)
  • Binghamton: 9/19 at Siena, L, 0-2
• New Hampshire
  • UAlbany: 9/26 vs. New Hampshire, T, 1-1 (2OT)
  • Binghamton: 10/23 at New Hampshire, L, 0-1
• Hartford
  • UAlbany: 9/30 at Hartford, T, 1-1 (2OT)
  • Binghamton: 10/3 vs. Hartford, W, 1-0
• Maine
  • UAlbany: 10/3 vs. Maine, W, 1-0
  • Binghamton: 10/17 vs. Maine, T, 0-0 (2OT)
• UMass Lowell
  • UAlbany: 10/10 at UMass Lowell, W, 1-0 (OT)
  • Binghamton: 9/26 at UMass Lowell, L, 0-1 (OT)
• Vermont
  • UAlbany: 10/14 vs. Vermont, L, 0-2
  • Binghamton: 9/19 vs. Vermont, W, 1-0 (2OT)
• UMBC
  • UAlbany: 10/17 vs. UMBC, W, 4-0
  • Binghamton: 9/30 vs. UMBC, W, 4-1
• NJIT
  • UAlbany:10/24 at NJIT, L, 0-1 (OT)
  • Binghamton: 10/10 at NJIT, W, 2-1 (2OT)
• UAlbany (3-3-4) | Binghamton (5-3-2)

Thursday's America East Games

• New Hampshire at Vermont, 4:00 pm
• NJIT at Hartford, 5:00 pm
• Maine at UMass Lowell, 6:00 pm
• Stony Brook at UMBC, 6:00 pm
• UAlbany at Binghamton, 7:00 pm

Seniors
The 2021 Great Danes have seven seniors on the roster: Caitlyn Adams, Chloe Argenziano, Christina Cernuto, Jada Colbert, Jasmine Colbert, Kelsey Murphy, and Amanda O'Brien.  They are the final seven holdovers from UAlbany's last America East title, their record-setting 2018 team.  Additionally, three players, Sophia Chen, Sophia Eifler, and Hailey Summers, exercised their extra year of eligibility to return to UAlbany to play one final season.  The team's senior game against UMBC went off without a hitch, with the Great Danes winning by their most lopsided margin of the season, 4-0, with Cernuto scoring a goal off the bench.
 
Player of the Week
Freshman goalkeeper Cassandra Coster back-to-back shutout victories over Maine and UMass Lowell earned her first America East weekly awards in her career.  Coster was recognized as the conference's Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week on October 11 for her efforts against the Black Bears and the River Hawks, recording a career-high 11 saves against the latter.  It was also the first time this season a Great Dane had won a weekly award.
 
Overtime Madness
Against UMass Lowell on October 10, UAlbany went into overtime for the fifth time this season.  Each of the first four overtime matches ended in a tie after 110 minutes of play.  The game against UMass Lowell, at the time 4-0-0 against America East opponents and leading the conference standings, broke that trend, with Jasmine Colbert scoring in the 93rd minute to give UAlbany its first victory in extra time all season.
 
Tying Up
For three games in a row, at Siena, vs. New Hampshire, and at Hartford, the Great Danes recorded a result of a 1-1, double-overtime tie.  In the first two games, UAlbany took the lead and let up the equalizer later, and against Hartford, the first-place Hawks scored first only for UAlbany to respond and force overtime.  The streak ended at home against Maine, a 1-0 victory.  An additional streak for the Great Danes remains active, six straight games scoring exactly one goal.
 
Streak Ender
With her unassisted goal in the 62nd minute at Hartford, Jada Colbert ended a streak where the Hawks had not conceded a goal at home to that point in the season.  Hartford had not allowed a goal at home for 361 total minutes, into their fifth home game, before Colbert found the back of the net.  The last goal Hartford conceded at home was in the 14th minute of the game against New Hampshire by Ally Reynolds on October 20, 2019, since the Hawks did not play in the 2021 spring season, adding 291 minutes to their streak dating to that game.
 
Breaking Through
The Great Danes' first victory of the season came in their fifth game, against Yale, and featured a barrage of scoring with both teams combining for a total of seven goals.  UAlbany defeated the Bulldogs 4-3, scoring three goals in the second half.  Yale scored within the first two minutes, in what looked like the start of a repeat of the last meeting between the two teams in 2019 when Yale won 4-0.  UAlbany tied the game before halftime however, before ceding another goal to the Bulldogs shortly after the second half.  UAlbany scored the next three goals, including an own-goal from Yale to go up 4-2, before Yale scored on a PK to cut the lead to one.  The Bulldogs earned three corner kicks in the final minute of the game, the second of which nearly resulted in an equalizer if not for UAlbany goalkeeper Sophia Chen turning it away.
 
Schedule Shakeup
Four of UAlbany's first five games on the 2021 calendar have required adjustments from their original plans.  The opener at Syracuse was cancelled due to inclement weather.  The second game, the home opener against Hofstra, was moved up two hours to avoid weather from Tropical Storm Henri.  The third game, at CCSU, was pushed back one hour to avoid excessive heat.  Most recently, the team's road game at Quinnipiac was cancelled due to inclement weather.
 
Top Drawer Soccer Preseason America East Top-20

• Jasmine Colbert – 2
• Hailey Summers – 4
• Olivia Piraino - 20 

Picked Fifth
The Great Danes were picked to finish fifth in the 2021 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll.  UAlbany drew 52 points in fifth place behind two-time defending conference champion and unanimous favorite Stony Brook.  The Seawolves pulled in 81 total points and all nine possible first-place votes.  UMass Lowell was second, garnering the final first-place vote and 67 total points.  Binghamton (61) and New Hampshire (52) were picked just ahead of UAlbany.  Behind the Great Danes, perennial power Hartford was picked sixth with 50 points, followed by Vermont (28), Maine and NJIT (20), and UMBC (17).
 
Captains
The UAlbany women's soccer team features three captains for the 2021-22 season in goalkeeper Sophia Chen, midfielder Sophia Eifler, and defender Hailey Summers.  Each was a sophomore on the team for UAlbany's most recent America East title in 2018, and each has elected to utilize their additional year of eligibility to return to UAlbany this season.
 
Colbert Connection
Three times in their careers, twin sisters Jada and Jasmine Colbert connected on a goal.  Jasmine set up Jada for the first goal of the 2019 game against UMass Lowell.  Earlier in the 2019 season, against St. Francis Brooklyn, the twins connected for the first time in their UAlbany careers, when Jada set up Jasmine to put UAlbany up 2-0 right after halftime.  Most recently, the twins connected when Jada set up Jasmine for the game-winner against Stony Brook in the spring 2021 season.
 
Home Field
The Great Danes finished the 2019 regular season unbeaten at home, going 6-0-2, before falling at home in the America East semifinals.  UAlbany went 8-1-1 at Casey Stadium in 2018, including quarterfinal and championship victories in the America East Tournament.  The Great Danes let up just eight goals in 10 games at home in 2019, and just two in the last five.  Dating back to the 2015 season, the year of the program's first America East title, and to date in the 2021 fall season, the Great Danes are 35-15-4 at home.
 
Next: The America East Tournament begins October 31.