ALBANY, N.Y. – Men's soccer returns to conference play after a brief hiatus to host NJIT, playing the Highlanders for the first time at America East opponents.
 
Game Info
Saturday, September 25 vs. NJIT (2:00 pm)
Live Stats | AE.tv
 
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
• NJIT's Rene White shares the America East lead with seven goals scored, and ranks second with 16 total points
• 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
• UAlbany missed playing NJIT in the spring, the Highlanders' first season in the America East, due to their pod scheduling not overlapping
• Saturday is men's soccer's annual Spread Respect game to ensure equality and safety for all student-athletes, coaches, and fans without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity

Scouting NJIT
NJIT joined the America East in July, 2020, but has yet to play each of their new conference opponents due to the spring's unique pod scheduling format.  In 2021, the Highlanders are 2-4-1, but ahead of UAlbany in the standings due to their conference victory over UMass Lowell.  It was NJIT's first win since their season opener on August 26.  The Highlanders rank second in the America East in scoring offense, averaging 2.14 goals per game, but rank last in scoring defense, averaging nearly 2.5 goals against per game.  The Highlanders, after finishing the spring season 4-5-1 (4-2-0) and advancing to the America East semifinal round, were picked to finish third in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, one spot ahead of UAlbany.
 
Last Time vs. NJIT
UAlbany and NJIT have placed twice in the Great Danes' Division I era, in 2010 and 2011.  The teams split the meetings, with NJIT taking the 2010 game 4-1, and UAlbany winning the 2011 game 4-1.  In both instances, the game was won by the visiting team.  The 2011 game was head coach Trevor Gorman's first at UAlbany.  In that game, Quintel Gates scored twice, and David Pinto and Pomare Te Anau scored once each, and UAlbany scored three times after the halftime break to knock off the Highlanders.
 
Last Time Out
After a brief dive into the America East schedule, the Great Danes returned home after two games on the road and returned to non-conference play to host Rhode Island.  Andrew Weiner scored the Great Danes' earliest goal of the season, and first of the first half, finding the back of the net in the sixth minute to put UAlbany up early.  Next, just before halftime, Ricardo Rego scored on a corner kick to give UAlbany a 2-1 lead at the break.  After Rhode Island tied the game in the 73rd minute, the game went into overtime.  In the 93rd minute, Shafique Wilson made a kick save on a breakaway to prevent Rhode Island from wining, and in the 105th minute Austin DaSilva broke through with his first goal of the season to defeat the Rams 3-2.
 
Around the America East
New Hampshire remains undefeated, now 8-0-0 on the season, and retains their #9-ranking in the United Soccer Coaches national poll.  The Wildcats most recently defeated Quinnipiac 5-0, handing the Bobcats their first defeat of the season.  Five other teams, including UAlbany, have won five games, with Vermont holding the second-best overall record, 5-1-1, behind New Hampshire, though the Catamounts are 0-1-0 against America East opponents.  UMBC is second in the conference at 5-2-1, 1-0-0, just ahead of Stony Brook and Binghamton.
 
Saturday's America East Games

• Stony Brook at Binghamton, 1:00 pm
• NJIT at UAlbany, 2:00 pm
• New Hampshire at Hartford, 7:00 pm
• UMBC at UMass Lowell, 7:00 pm 

Game-Winner
Another tight game for the Great Danes went into overtime against Rhode Island.  UAlbany overcame their first-half scoring struggles, putting one away in the sixth minute and again in the 45th right before the break.  Rhode Island tied the game a two in the 73rd, ultimately forcing overtime.  In the 105th, Austin DaSilva, 2019 America East Striker of the Year, scored his first goal of the season to clinch the golden-goal victory for the Great Danes over the Rams.
 
USC Regional
UAlbany remained in the United Soccer Coaches Northeast Regional Poll in Week 4, but fell from their season-high spot of fourth, held for the last two weeks, to ninth, following defeats against Hofstra and New Hampshire.  The Wildcats, who remain undefeated, still hold the top spot in the regional rankings.   Two other America East schools, Stony Brook (3), and Vermont (4), each earned spots in the Northeast top-10.

• Week 4: 9th
• Week 3: 4th
• Week 2: 4th
• Week 1: 5th

Shutouts
In their first seven games to start the 2021 season, each game UAlbany played included a shutout.  In victories, UAlbany had not allowed a goal, winning four games by a score of 1-0.  And in defeats, UAlbany had not scored, falling 3-0 at St. John's, 4-0 at Hofstra, and most recently 2-0 at #9 New Hampshire.  UAlbany had not scored a goal in the first half this season, and have not scored a goal earlier than the 62nd minute, with their average goal coming in the 81st minute.  Both streaks were broken against Rhode Island, a 3-2, double-overtime victory for the Great Danes during which they scored their first goal in the sixth minute.
 
To the Wire
One game after defeating Marist in the 99th minute, and after playing Lafayette to a scoreless tie for 89 minutes, the Great Danes broke through to defeat the Leopards 1-0 with three seconds remaining in regulation.  A serve in to Austin DaSilva from midfield was redirected to Adam Aoumaich.  Aoumaich played the ball into the middle of the Lafayette box to Giuliano Lucca, whose shot tipped the Lafayette goalkeepers fingers and fell into the right side netting for the win.
 
Defensive Player of the Week
UAlbany goalkeeper Carlos Tofern was named America East Defensive Player of the Week on September 7, earning his first-ever weekly award from the conference and the team's first weekly award of the season.  Tofern recorded six saves in the Great Danes' shutout victory at Villanova.  At the time of his award, Tofern was 2-1-0 on the season with two shutouts.
 
Three-for-Three
Through UAlbany's first four games of the 2021 fall season, and three Great Dane victories, Haflidi Sigurdarson has accounted for each UAlbany goal scored.  He scored the game-winner in a 1-0 victory in the season opener against Fairfield, off assists from Andrew Weiner and Giuliano Lucca, and then scored on a penalty kick to knock off Villanova.  Most recently, Sigurdarson scored the game-winner in the 99th minute to seal an overtime victory over Marist.
 
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 doesn't play again until October 5 at Dartmouth, the Great Danes penultimate non-conference opponent of the 2021 regular season.