ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany women's soccer program plays its second-straight game at home, welcoming Wagner to Casey Stadium on Sunday.
 
Game Info
Sunday, September 11 vs. Wagner (3:00 pm)
Live Stats | AE.tv
 
Leading the Pack

• After being shut out in each of its first four games, UAlbany has scored in each of their last three
• UAlbany is 1-1-1 at home this season; Wagner is 1-2-0 on the road
• UAlbany leads the America East in shots taken
• Sahara Zingano leads the America East in shots taken, shots on goal, and shots per game, and is tied for second in assists
• Megan Hart is second in total saves
• Emily Jozak is tied for third in goals scored

Scouting Wagner
Wagner is 2-5-0 on the season so far and has been shut out in each of its last two games, most recently 5-0 at Army West Point.  The Seahawks have already played two America East opponents, falling to UMBC and defeating NJIT.  Wagner went 8-10-0 in 2021, and was picked to finish fifth in the 2022 Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.  The Seahawks return 22 players from last year's team, including NEC leading scorer Madison Carr.  UAlbany is 2-3-1 against Wagner since the 1999 season.
 
Last Time vs. Wagner
UAlbany visited Wagner last season and despite controlling the tempo offensively, fell to the Seahawks 2-1.  UAlbany outshot Wagner 26-7 overall, with Jada Colbert single-handedly outshooting the Seahawks by taking 10 shots herself.  Additionally, the UAlbany defense did not allow Wagner a corner kick during the game.  All three goals came after halftime, with Wagner scoring first in the 59th minute, and then Jasmine Colbert notching the equalizer on a penalty kick in the 60th.  Wager broke the tie in the 81st, and went on to claim the 2-1 victory.
 
Last Time Out
UAlbany hosted a Purple-Out in their game against Cornell, and wore their traditional road purples at home.  Olivia Piraino, the team's leading returning scorer from 2021, scored her first goal of the season off a rebound from a shot from Selma Elberum in the ninth minute to put UAlbany up 1-0 early.  Cornell scored an equalizer after halftime and held firm despite UAlbany's continued pressure.  The game ended in a 1-1 draw.
 
Around the America East
UMBC and Maine continue to lead the conference standings, with the Retrievers holding a narrow lead at 4-1-2 over the Black Bears' 3-1-1.  America East newcomer Bryant is third at 3-4-0.  UMass Lowell, Vermont, and New Hampshire each have two victories, but land narrowly behind NJIT at 1-2-4.  Binghamton and UAlbany join the Highlanders with one victory on the season.
 
Sunday's America East Games

• Holy Cross at Maine, 12:00pm
• Binghamton at Fairleigh Dickinson, 12:00 pm
• UMass Lowell at Hartford, 1:00 pm
• Bryant at Merrimack, 1:00 pm
• UMBC at Robert Morris, 1:00 pm
• Boston University at New Hampshire, 2:00 pm
• Wagner at UAlbany, 3:00 pm
• NJIT at Saint Peter's, 3:00 pm

Rookie of the Week
Following her big game against Rider, Emily Jozak was named America East Rookie of the Week.  Jozak's three goals matched the program's single-game record for goals and points in the Division I era, matching the mark set in 2017 by Mariah Williams against Maine.  Jozak is UAlbany's first Rookie of the Week winner since Cassie Coster was named Rookie and Defensive Player last October.
 
Record-Setting
The UAlbany women's soccer program record book required rewriting following the team's first victory of 2022, a 3-1 win over visiting Rider.  Freshman Emily Jozak recorded the program's second hat trick of the Division I era, matching Mariah Williams' single-game records with three goals and six points.  Additionally, the team's 29 total shots against the Broncs were tied for the sixth-highest in a single game in Division I program history, matching two previous efforts in 2019 against Maine and 2008 against UMBC.
 
First Win
Five games into her career as head coach at UAlbany, her first head coaching stint, Sade Ayinde recorded her first victory.  The Great Danes fell behind at home against Rider 1-0 but rallied and maintained their offensive pressure to score three times in 10 in-game minutes to knock off the Broncs 3-1.
 
Breaking Through
The Great Danes started the season slowly, dropping each of their first four games without scoring a goal in any.  In game five, at home against then 3-0-1 Rider, UAlbany finally found the back of the net in the 40th minute when Sahara Zingano connected with freshman Emily Jozak for Jozak's first career goal.  The score ended a run of more than 400 in-game minutes without a goal dating back to the final game of the 2021 season at Vermont in the America East semifinal round.
 
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 37-16-4 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 begins America East play at New Hampshire on September 18.