ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany women's soccer team hits the road for the third time in four games with a weekend visit to Hofstra.
 
Game Info
Sunday, August 28 at Hofstra (3:00 pm)
Live Stats | FloSports
 
Leading the Pack

• UAlbany went 2-5-3 on the road in 2021; Hofstra went 9-2-1 at home
• UAlbany has outshot two of its first three opponents this season
• Sahara Zingano and Olivia Piraino rank third in fourth in the America East, respectively, in shots taken
• Hofstra has allowed two goals in six games against UAlbany dating back to 2001

Scouting Hofstra
Hofstra won its season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson 3-2 before playing Yale to a scoreless draw a week later.  The Pride will play their third game of the season against UAlbany.  Last season, Hofstra went 17-4-1 en route to a CAA title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.  The Pride defeated Providence in the first round before falling in the second to South Carolina.  Hofstra landed three players on the CAA Preseason All-Conference team and was picked to finish second in the league in the Coaches' Poll.  Senior defender Anja Suttner was named a Player to Watch by the United Soccer Coaches.  Last season, Suttner anchored a Pride defense that recorded 13 shutouts and gave up just 0.58 goals per game, while earning All-East Region, All-CAA, and All-ECAC honors.  UAlbany is winless in six meetings against Hofstra in the team's Division I era.
 
Last Time vs. Hofstra
The Pride continued their unblemished streak against the Great Danes during the 2021 fall season, the second of two meetings in 2021 having also played UAlbany during the 2021 spring season.  Hofstra defeated the Great Danes 2-0, increasing their scoring advantage against the Great Danes to 12-0 over the last three games in the series dating back to 2013.  Hofstra pressed the advantage early, outshooting UAlbany 8-2 in the first half, and 18-8 overall.
 
Last Time Out
UAlbany hosted its home opener against reigning Ivy League champion Brown, who was playing in its season opener, on Friday.  The Bears defeated the Great Danes 2-0 after scoring two goals in the first 18 minutes and holding UAlbany to just two shots, and none on target, after halftime.  The game was originally scheduled to start at noon but was delayed until 5:30 pm due to inclement weather.
 
Around the America East
Unbeaten Maine sits atop the early conference standings through two games on its schedule at 1-0-1.  NJIT is also unbeaten in its first three games, 1-0-2.  New Hampshire, at 2-1-0, is the only team in the league to win multiple games so far this season.  Binghamton and UMBC are tied for fourth at 1-1-1, followed by defending conference and regular-season champion Vermont at 1-1-0.  Bryant and UMass Lowell are each 1-2-0, and UAlbany still seeks its first victory at 0-3-0.
 
Sunday's America East Games

• UMass Lowell vs. UConn, 1:00 pm
• Bryant at Maine, 1:00 pm
• NJIT at Drexel, 1:00 pm
• Binghamton at Michigan State, 1:00 pm
• Central Connecticut State at New Hampshire, 2:00 pm
• South Carolina at Vermont, 2:00 pm
• UAlbany at Hofstra, 3:00 pm

Picked Fifth
UAlbany was picked to finish fifth in the 2022 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, after finishing the 2021 season fourth and advancing to the America East semifinal round.  It is the second-straight season in which the Great Danes were picked fifth.  UMass Lowell narrowly edged defending regular-season and conference champion Vermont for first-place in this season's poll.
 
Home Field
UAlbany has been excellent within the confines of Tom & Mary Casey Stadium for the better part of the last decade, boasting a 36-15-4 record at home since the start of the 2015 season, the year of the program's first America East title.  The Great Danes went 4-3-1 at home in 2021, and between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, UAlbany was 14-1-3, including an unbeaten 2019 season in which they gave up just eight goals at home.
 
First Year
Sade Ayinde was hired on February 16, 2022 as UAlbany's 14th head women's soccer coach, and eighth during the program's Division I era.  She steps in for Leigh Howard, who oversaw the team for two seasons before moving on to work with the Special Olympics.  Ayinde was a standout at Maryland during her collegiate career, scoring 16 goals with 17 assists in 79 appearances over four seasons.  Her previous collegiate coaching stops include Stony Brook and, most recently, Yale, and she also works with the US National program.
 
Game Over
Adopted starting this season, regular-season matches will no longer go into extra time when tied at the conclusion of regulation.  The regular-seasons games will conclude after 90 minutes of play.  Overtime and shootouts will return starting in the postseason.
 
Next: UAlbany hosts Rider on August 31.