ALBANY, N.Y. – UAlbany men's soccer visits BIG EAST opponent Villanova on Friday for its second-straight road game.
 
Game Info
Friday, September 3 at Villanova (4:00 pm)
Live Stats | FloSports
 
Leading the Pack

• UAlbany returns its five leading scorers from the 2021 spring season, including top scorer Adam Aoumaich (4 goals, 1 assist) and 2019 America East Striker of the Year Austin DaSilva (2 goals, three assists)
• UAlbany's roster features 15 new players
• Villanova goalkeeper Carson Williams led the NCAA in 2019 in with a .849 save percentage
• After utilizing a unique three-pod scheduling format during the spring 2021 season, the America East will return to its regular round-robin format for the fall

Scouting Villanova
Villanova is 2-0 in its first two games, defeating Rider 2-0 and Hartford 2-1.  Friday will be Villanova's third of four-straight home games to start the 2021 season, and five-straight in the city of Philadelphia.  The Wildcats went 2-8 in the 2021 spring season, and were picked to finish 11th in the 2021 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. 
 
Last Time vs. Villanova
UAlbany has played Villanova twice since 2014, in back-to-back seasons, and hold an 0-2-0 record against the Wildcats since then.  In both games, Villanova held UAlbany without a goal.  Despite a strong first half, UAlbany fell behind the Wildcats in front of a record crowd at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium, ultimately falling by a final score of 3-0.  UAlbany goalkeeper Danny Vitiello, who would go on to record more starts, victories, and shutouts than any goalie in UAlbany Division I history, made his first career start in this game and recorded seven saves.
 
Last Time Out
UAlbany visited another BIG EAST opponent, St. John's, for their 2021 road opener.  The Red Storm defeated UAlbany 3-0, scoring twice in the first half, including in the final minute before the break, and once in the second.  Despite the score, UAlbany goalkeeper Carlos Tofern played stoutly in net, recording a handful of point-blank saves to keep the Red Storm from extending the lead.  The game, the first between the teams in program history, featured three total red cards.
 
Around the America East
Following an unbeaten opening day, the America East schools have collectively gone 4-4-1 since.  New Hampshire, Vermont, and Binghamton have each won their first two games, while NJIT and UMass Lowell are unbeaten with one win and one draw.  UAlbany and Stony Brook are both 1-1-0, while Hartford and UMBC continue to seek their first win.  UAlbany's next opponent, Villanova, just defeated Hartford 2-1.
 
Friday's America East Games

• UMass Lowell at Quinnipiac, 4:00 pm
• UAlbany at Villanova, 4:00 pm
• Stony Brook at Drexel, 6:00 pm
• Binghamton at Niagara, 7:00 pm
• Vermont at Colgate, 7:00 pm
• Providence at New Hampshire, 7:00 pm
• LaSalle at UMBC, 7:00 pm
• Brown at Hartford, 7:30 pm

Picked Fourth
The Great Danes were picked fourth in the 2021 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll.  Three-time defending champion New Hampshire was picked as the unanimous favorite, ahead of Vermont and NJIT.  UAlbany edged out a pack of four teams separated by a total of five points: UAlbany (33), UMass Lowell (31), UMBC (30), and Hartford (28).
 
Familiar Foes
Due to the America East's implementation of a unique three-pod scheduling format for the 2021 spring season, UAlbany played six conference games against a total of four conference opponents (Binghamton, Hartford, UMBC, and Vermont).  This season, the Great Danes will return to their full round-robin conference slate to once again play every other team in the America East, including three-time defending champion New Hampshire, as well as the first-ever game against NJIT as a conference opponent.
 
New Look
Despite returning its top five scorers from the 2021 spring season, the fall 2021 Great Danes feature 15 new players on the roster.  The new recruits hail from a total of seven countries, including the United States, adding to the diverse background that already exists within Coach Gorman's program.
 
Finishing Strong
After starting the 2021 spring season 0-4-1, the Great Danes rallied down the stretch to win three of their final four games of the season by a total score of 8-3.  UAlbany claimed victory over both of its pod opponents, Binghamton and postseason-bound Hartford during the stretch, avenging earlier-season losses to both squads.
 
Next: UAlbany hosts Marist on September 7.