ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany hosts America East rival UMass Lowell Saturday ahead of a three-game road swing.
 
Game Info
October 14, 2023 vs. UMass Lowell (6:00 pm)
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Int'l Stream | Game Notes
 
Leading the Pack

• UAlbany is 4-2-0 at home this season; UMass Lowell is 2-4-1 on the road
• UMass Lowell ranks tied for second in the America East in scoring offense; UAlbany ranks sixth
• UAlbany ranks fourth in the America East in scoring defense; UMass Lowell ranks eighth
• Alex Pechacek ranks ninth nationally in total assists
• UMass Lowell's Adam Henry leads the America East in saves per game

Scouting UMass Lowell
The River Hawks are currently riding a five-game losing streak, and are 2-7-2 overall this season.  Both of UMass Lowell's victories this season have come in road games, at Northeastern and at CCSU.  Since their victory over the Blue Devils, on September 16, the River Hawks have lost each of the ensuing five games on their schedule, including a 5-4 game at Holy Cross.  UMass Lowell scores nearly two goals per game, but concedes just over two goals.  Two River Hawks, Guillermo Frances Poquet and Daniele Mastroianni, have scored four goals each, while two more, Oliver Holmstrom and Michael Oliveri Jr., have scored three each.  Since 2013, and including regular meetings between the teams in America East Tournament games, UAlbany is 6-5-1 against UMass Lowell.  Neither team has won more than two games in a row during that stretch, but the River Hawks are 1-5-0 in games played in Albany.
 
Last Time vs. UMass Lowell
October 28, 2022 | UAlbany visited UMass Lowell to close their 2022 regular-season road slate.  The game ended in a 0-0 draw, keeping winless-in-conference UMass Lowell's postseason chances alive.  UAlbany goalkeeper Shafique Wilson stopped four shots and recorded his fifth clean sheet of the season, matching the performance of his River Hawk counterpart.  UMass Lowell pressed the advantage in the first half, outshooting UAlbany 8-3, but UAlbany tipped the scales following the break, narrowly outshooting the River Hawks 11-9 in the second.
 
Last Time Out
UAlbany returned home after 14 days and two games on the road to host Binghamton after taking a brief conference hiatus to play at Ivy League rival Cornell.  Against the Bearcats, UAlbany took the lead in the 31st minute.  Ander Castillo, capitalizing on a counter-attack, played the ball slightly behind to Mamadi Jiana, who scored his fourth goal of the season to put UAlbany up 1-0.  Binghamton notched the equalizer just before halftime, and scored two more goals in the second half, in the 69th and 73rd minutes, to claim a 3-1 victory. 
 
Around the America East
A round of upsets reshaped the top of the conference standings.  NJIT and UMBC now share the top spot with seven points each after the Highlanders upended Vermont last week.  The Catamounts, who fell from #15 to #22 in the national standings after the loss, are third with six points.  Binghamton is fourth with five points.  Defending champion New Hampshire has climbed back into the national rankings at #24, and has recorded three-straight draws in conference play to accumulate three points.  Bryant is the first team this season to win 10 games overall, and has conceded just three goals in 13 games, but ranks sixth in the standings.  UAlbany trails with one point, ahead of UMass Lowell with zero.
 
Saturday's America East Games

• UMass Lowell at UAlbany, 6:00 pm
• #22 Vermont at Binghamton, 6:00 pm
• #24 New Hampshire at UMBC, 7:00 pm

Common Opponents

• Boston University
  • UAlbany: 8/24 at Boston University, L, 1-2
  • UMass Lowell: 9/3 at Boston University, L, ,1-2
• Lafayette
  • UAlbany: 9/19 vs. Lafayette, W, 3-0
  • UMass Lowell: 8/25 at Lafayette, T, 1-1
• UMBC
  • UAlbany: 9/23 vs. UMBC, L, 1-2
  • UMass Lowell: 10/7 vs. UMBC, L, 1-2

Upcoming Milestones

• Trevor Gorman: 99 career wins
• Program: 499 wins

Dangerous Strikes
Through the Great Danes' first eight games, the team has scored 12 goals.  Five of their last seven have come on either free kicks or corner kicks, started with three such goals against Marist.  So far, the Great Danes have scored four goals off corner kicks alone.
 
Helping Hand
Alex Pechacek recorded his first assist of the season in the Great Danes' fifth game, at home against Marist.  Pechacek finished the game with three assists, the second-most in a single game in Division I program history.  Including the game against Marist, Pechacek has assisted on six of UAlbany's seven goals scored, and has recorded at least one assist in three of four games.
 
First Halves
Until Penn scored in the 11th minute in the Great Danes' seventh game of the season, UAlbany had held its first six opponents scoreless in the first half of each game.  Conversely, UAlbany had scored four goals in first halves this season.
 
At the Top
In Week 3 of the United Soccer Coaches regional rankings, America East institutions accounted for each of the top four, and five of the top 10, spots in the Northeast Poll.  Vermont, New Hampshire, both nationally ranked, took the top two spots, followed by UMBC and undefeated and untied Bryant.  UAlbany landed seventh out of 10, behind Cornell and LIU.
 
Defensive Player of the Week
Tiago Dias' two-goal performance, including the game-winner, earned his first career America East Defensive Player of the Week honor.  In scoring twice, first in the 17th minute and next in the 54th, Dias powered the Great Danes to victory over Marist, and doubled his career goals total.
 
Helping Hand
Graduate midfielder Alex Pechacek recorded an assist on all three UAlbany goals against Marist.  The three assists were the second-most in a single game in the program's Division I history, ranking only behind Daniel Krutzen's four at American University during the 2018 season.  No other player in the program's Division I era had recorded three assists in a game.
 
From the Back
All three of UAlbany's goals against Marist came from the defensive line, and specifically center backs Tiago Dias and Santiago Frias.  Dias scored the first two goals of the game, in the 17th and 54th minutes, and Frias added one in the 57th.  All three goals were scored on set pieces, with midfielder Alex Pechacek assisting on each.
 
Shutting Out
After earning shutouts in back-to-back games early in the 2023 season, the UAlbany men's soccer team had recorded seven shutouts in its previous 10 games dating back to the 2022 season.  Since playing Colgate to a 1-1 tie on October 18, 2022, UAlbany had allowed just six goals in 11 games, including two shutouts in 10 days against then #8-ranked Vermont.  UAlbany's shutout streak reached a peak of 505 consecutive minutes between allowing goals to Colgate and in the 2022 America East title game against #22 New Hampshire.
 
Without Borders
Including the United States and Canada, the 2023 men's soccer roster features 29 players representing 13 different countries.  In total, 21 players have joined the team from outside the United States.
 
New Faces
The Great Danes' roster of 29 players features 13 new faces.  Three of the 13 are freshmen, while the remaining 10 have transferred into UAlbany from their previous institutions.  The transfers hail from such programs as Akron, South Florida, and defending national champion Syracuse, among others.
 
Picked Third
After a run to the America East title game in 2022, the Great Danes were picked to finish in a tie for third in the 2023 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll.  They shared their point total of 34 with UMBC, and narrowly edging the Retrievers by garnering one first-place vote.
 
Schedule Strength
Including defending national champion and preseason #1 Syracuse, five of the Great Danes 17 opponents in 2023 hold preseason rankings in the United Soccer Coaches national poll.  Behind the Orange, the Great Danes will play games against #12 Vermont, #20 Cornell, #23 New Hampshire, and #25 Penn.
 
Phoenix Rising
Former UAlbany defender Daniel Krutzen '18 signed a deal in January with Phoenix Rising FC of the USL Championship, the second-tier league in the United States.  Krutzen made the move after playing four years in the Canadian Premier League for Forge FC, winning three league titles.
 
Hall of Fame Semifinalist
The most prolific scorer in UAlbany men's soccer history, Lee Tschantret, was named a semifinalist to the National Soccer Hall of Fame's 2023 Veteran Ballot.  Tschantret played at UAlbany from 1987-90, scoring a program-record that still stands today 51 goals.  He earned All-America honors in 1988 and 1989, and after his collegiate season enjoyed a 20-year professional career.
 
U.S. Open Cup
Former UAlbany goalkeeper Danny Vitiello and his Sacramento Republic FC team advanced to the championship game of the 2022 U.S. Open Cup against Orlando City SC of the MLS.  Sacramento was the first team from outside the MLS to reach the title game since Charleston Battery played against D.C. United in 2008.  Vitiello and Sacramento defeated three MLS teams en route to the final, the San Jose Earthquakes, the L.A. Galaxy, and Sporting Kansas City.  In the latter game, the semifinal, Vitiello recorded the decisive save in the penalty kick shootout to advance Sacramento to the final.  Sacramento's magic run ended against Orlando City, falling 3-0.
 
Next: UAlbany visits Colgate on October 17.