ALBANY, N.Y. - The #16 UAlbany field hockey team is in Michigan and will continue play in the NCAA Tournament.
After winning the America East Championship, the Great Danes earned an automatic bid to compete in the NCAA Tournament. After defeating fourth-seeded Michigan in Ann Arbor, UAlbany has advanced to the Second Round for a chance to make the Final Four.
Should the Great Danes defeat Penn State, they will advance to the Final Four next weekend at UConn.
GAME INFORMATION
NCAA Tournament - Second Round
UAlbany vs Penn State
DATE: Sunday, November 13
TIME: 1:00 PM
SITE: Phyllis Ocker Field - Ann Arbor, Michigan
RECORDS: UAlbany 16-4, 6-2 America East | Penn State 16-3, 7-1 Big Ten
SERIES RECORD: 4-0, Penn State leads
STREAM:
B1G+
STATS:
NCAA.com
TICKETS:
MGoBlue.com
Updated information on the game can be found by clicking here.
GREAT DANE REWIND
- Seeing its sixth week in the top 25, UAlbany is ranked 16th in the NFHCA/Penn Monto Division I National Poll. The Great Danes entered the top 25 after two double-overtime victories against Vermont (9/30) and #16 Boston College (10/2).
- UAlbany opened the season with an explosive 5-2 victory over Northeastern. It was the Great Danes' first win in the all-time series against the Huskies.
- Facing two nationally-ranked teams - #22 Ohio State (8/28) and #11 Penn State (9/3), UAlbany saw their first two losses.
- The Great Danes went on to win five-straight games against Fairfield (9/4), Colgate (9/9), Cornell (9/11), Yale (9/18), and California (9/23).
- With a 6-2 record in the America East, UAlbany has defeated California, Vermont (9/30), UC Davis (10/9), UMass Lowell (10/14), New Hampshire (10/21), and Bryant (10/28) with losses to Maine (9/25) and Stanford (10/7).
- In the America East Championship, the Great Danes faced sixth-seed New Hampshire in the semifinals and fifth-seed Stanford in the championship. After defeating the Wildcats, 2-1, UAlbany became the champion with a victory in shootouts against the Cardinal.
- Most recently, the Great Danes defeated fourth-seeded Michigan to advance to the NCAA Second Round contest. Against the Wolverines, sophomore Floor de Ruiter scored the game-tying goal, assisted by sophomore Alison Smisdom, and freshman Sophia Schoonmaker notched the game-winning goal, assisted by graduate student Elaina Burchell.
- Smisdom leads the team with 15 goals and 39 points.
- Graduate student Luisa Knapp follows with 21 points from seven goals and seven assists.
- Senior Julie Rodijk is tied with Knapp with seven goals, leading the team's defenders. She also tops the team with 1098 minutes.
- With 12 assists, sophomore Blanca Orsola leads the team. She is ranked third overall with 18 points.
- On defense, Smisdom has a team-high three defensive saves.
- Senior goalie Hannah Mangan has started 17 games. In 1103:25 minutes, she owns a 1.14 goals against average and a .738 save percentage. She has contributed to both of the Great Danes' shutouts, one solo and one shared.
IN THE RANKINGS
- Three Great Danes hold positions in the top 40 of the national stats leaders (as of Nov. 9:
- Alison Smisdom
- 10th - 0.83 goals per game
- T-10th - 2.11 points per game
- T-23rd - 3 defensive saves
- Hannah Mangan
- T-4th - .824 win-loss percentage
- 12th - 1.14 goals against average
- 28th - .738 save percentage
- Blanca Orolsa
- T-12th - 0.67 assists per game
POSTSEASON AWARDS
- The America East announced its postseason awards on Wednesday, November 2. Five Great Danes were among those honored:
ABOUT PENN STATE
- Seeing time in the NFHCA top 25 for the entirety of the 2022 season, the Nittany Lions currently rank sixth in the country.
- Seeing 19 games in 2022, Penn State has only fallen in three contests - Louisville (8/28), Northwestern (9/30), and Michigan (11/4).
- After splitting their first weekend of play, the Nittany Lions grabbed seven straight wins, including three shutouts.
- Falling to Northwestern in overtime led to PSU finishing out the regular season with seven wins, including an additional three shutouts and two overtime victories.
- With a 7-1 conference record, the Nittany Lions earned the first seed in the Big Ten Championship Tournament. After receiving a bye, PSU fell in the semifinals to eventual champion, Michigan.
- Sophia Galdieux leads the team with 49 points from a team-high 23 goals and three assists.
- Second in points (40), Mackenzie Allessie owns the team-high with 18 assists.
- Sofia Acosta has tallied the lone defensive save on the season.
- Brie Barraco leads in goal with 114:24. Starting all 19 games on the season, she has worked for a 1.13 goals against average and a 0.794 save percentage.
SERIES AGAINST THE NITTANY LIONS
- In four contests against Penn State, the Great Danes have yet to see a win.
- The teams have met twice in the last two years.
- In the fall of 2021, three UAlbany freshmen combined for its lone goal with Floor de Ruiter taking the goal credit.
- Most recently, the Nittany Lions defeated the Great Danes, 6-2, in the 2022 regular season. Alison Smisdom and Sophia Schoonmaker combined for the goals while Charlotte Triggs, Robyn Murray, and Elaina Burchell each added an assist.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
- The Great Danes own a 3-6 record in NCAA Tournament play.
- With appearances in six different years, UAlbany has made it as far as the Final Four.
- In 2014, the team's lone Final Four appearance, the Great Danes defeated Wake Forest, 2-1, in the First Round and Maryland, 2-1, in the Second Round before falling to UConn, 1-0, in the semifinals. UConn went on to become the National Champion in 2014.
- The team's only additional Second Round game came in 2010. After beating Rider, 2-1, in the First Round, UAlbany took on Ohio State for the Second Round game. The Great Danes fell, 2-1, in overtime.
- UAlbany's most recent NCAA appearance, before the 2022 season, took them to Maryland for a First Round matchup.
