ALBANY, N.Y. - The UAlbany field hockey team will head to Massachusetts this weekend for the America East Championship Tournament.
GAME INFORMATION
AE Semifinal - #2 UAlbany vs #6 Maine
DATE: Friday, November 3
TIME: 3:00 PM
SITE: Wicked Blue Field - Lowell, Mass.
STREAM:
ESPN+
INT'L STREAM:
AE.TV
STATS:
GoRiverHawks.com
TICKETS: On site
*records as of 10.30
GREAT DANE REWIND
- In the most recent NFHCA Coaches Poll, UAlbany is ranked 19th in the nation.
- With the release of the 10th coaches poll, including the preseason poll, the Great Danes have seen a ranking in all but three individual weeks throughout the season. Their season-high came from a week five 18th-place.
- Seeing a tough non-conference schedule, UAlbany went 4-4 with wins over Stonehill (8.27), Hofstra (9.8), Cornell (9.10), and Towson (9.16) and losses to UMass (8.25), #7 Iowa (9.3), Drexel (9.17), and #3 UNC (10.15).
- In conference, the Great Danes defeated all but the tournament hosts - UMass Lowell.
- Alison Smisdom leads the team with 17 goals and 41 points.
- Mara Küskes trails with 16 points, including a team-high 10 assists.
- With a wide range of Great Danes contributing to the score over half of the field players (11 total) have notched at least one goal or assist.
- Smisdom has totaled three defensive saves on the season.
- In goal, junior Lara Behn leads with a 1.45 goals-against average and a .667 save percentage in 870 minutes.
AMERICA EAST POSTSEASON AWARDS
- Midfielder of the Year - Alison Smisdom
- First Team All-Conference
- Second Team All-Conference
- All-Rookie Team
- All-Academic Team
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE
(As of October 30)
- Great Danes have four student-athletes currently ranked in the national (NCAA Division I) stats:
- Alison Smisdom
- 6th - 2.41 points per game
- T6th - 1.00 goals per game
- T20th - 3 defensive saves
- Mara Küskes
- T12th - .59 assists per game
- Blanca Orsola
- T24th - .50 assists per game
- Lara Behn
- T8th - .818 goalie win percentage
- 29th - 1.447 goals against average
IN THE AMERICA EAST
(As of October 30)
- The Great Danes have leaders in each of the seven offensive and four goalie stat categories:
- Shots on Goal/Game
- Goals/Game
- Assists/Game
- Points/Game
- Game Winning Goals
- Defensive Saves
- Goals Against Average
- Save Percentage
- Shutouts/Game
- Saves/Game
WORK AS A TEAM, WIN AS A TEAM
(As of October 30)
- In the nation, UAlbany ranks:
- 13th - 7.35 penalty corners/game
- T13th - 2.88 goals/game
- T16th - 5 defensive saves
- 18th - 7.88 points/game
- 19th - 2.74 scoring average
- T19th - .706 winning percentage
- 21st - 1.23 scoring margin
- T23rd - 2.12 assists/game
- T27th - .24 shutouts/game
- The Great Danes' rank in the conference:
- 1st - 3.06 shots allowed/game
- 2nd - 10.41 shots on goal/game
- 2nd - 1.59 goals allowed/game
- 2nd - 7.35 corners/game
- 2nd - 1.509 goals against average
- 3rd - 1.29 scoring margin
- 3rd - .235 shutouts/game
ABOUT #1 UMASS LOWELL
- The River Hawks own a 14-3 record with a 7-1 record in conference play.
- In the most recent NFHCA Coaches Poll, UMass Lowell is ranked 18th in the nation.
- The River Hawks' lone conference loss was against New Hampshire (Oct. 8).
- Madison Leeper leads the team with 12 goals and 27 points.
- Karli Penrod and Mirthe Gans are tied with a team-best six assists.
- Christina Calandra and Maria Oliemans have split time in goal. Calandra recorded a 1.88 goals against average with a .660 save percentage in 510 minutes played. In contrast, in 450 minutes Oliemans tallied a .53 goals against average and a 0.879 save percentage.
SERIES AGAINST THE RIVER HAWKS
- UAlbany leads the all-time series, 13-2.
- In the most recent matchup, the Great Danes fell to the River Hawks, 3-2.
- Isabella Del Vecchio and Jannelle Volk scored a goal with Floor de Ruiter and Lauren Willis recording assists.
- UAlbany last defeated UMass Lowell, 3-1, in 2022.
- Five out of the last six matchups have been decided by a one-goal difference.
ABOUT #3 NEW HAMPSHIRE
- The Wildcats have a 12-6 record and a 6-2 conference record.
- In the America East, New Hampshire has defeated Stanford (Sept. 15), UC Davis (Sept. 17), Vermont (Sept. 22), Bryant (Sept. 29), UMass Lowell (Oct. 8), and Maine (Oct. 13).
- The Wildcats finished conference play with back-to-back losses to #20 UAlbany (Oct. 20) and California (Oct. 27).
- Tasmin Cookman leads the team with 18 goals and 41 points.
- Nicole Poulakis trails with 13 goals and 37 points while holding a team-high 11 assists.
- Jemma Woods has been in goal for 1004:30 minutes. She has earned a 1.85 goals against average with a .710 save percentage.
SERIES AGAINST THE WILDCATS
- The Great Danes hold the all-time series lead, 20-13.
- Earlier this season, UAlbany hosted New Hampshire for a 3-1 victory.
- Scoring on a penalty corner, Alison Smisdom tied the game assisted by Blanca Orsola and Mara Küskes.
- Floor de Ruiter and Sophia Schoonmaker both scored in the second half to push the Great Danes ahead.
- The last time these two teams met in the AE Tournament was a 2-1 victory in the 2022 semifinals.
- UAlbany currently possesses a five-game win streak over New Hampshire.
ABOUT #4 CALIFORNIA
- California tallied a 9-7 record while finishing 5-3 in conference play.
- In the America East, the Golden Bears defeated Stanford (Sept. 29), Bryant (Oct. 8), UC Davis (Oct. 14), New Hampshire (Oct. 27), and Maine (Oct. 29).
- California recorded one-goal losses to UAlbany (Sept. 22), Vermont (Sept. 24), and #17 UMass Lowell (Oct. 6).
- Bente Baekers leads the Golden Bears with 16 goals and 37 points.
- Daniella Rhodes trails with 15 goals and 34 points.
- Cato Geusgens and Sophie Everett share the team-high in assists with six.
- Tina Jolly has registered 887:36 minutes in goal this season. Recording a 1.89 goals against average with a .702 save percentage.
SERIES AGAINST THE GOLDEN BEARS
- The Great Danes lead the all-time series, 3-2.
- Earlier this season, UAlbany defeated California, 2-1, in overtime (Sept. 22).
- Charlotte Triggs scored the opening goal in the first quarter, assisted by Blanca Orsola.
- Alison Smisdom scored the game-winning goal on a penalty corner, assisted by Mara Küskes.
- The Great Danes have defeated California in each of their last three matchups.
ABOUT #5 VERMONT
- Vermont has registered an 8-9 record while going 4-4 in conference play.
- In the America East, the Catamounts notched victories against California (Sept. 24), UC Davis (Oct. 8), Bryant (Oct. 13), and Maine (Oct. 20) with losses to New Hampshire (Sept. 22), #18 UMass Lowell (Sept. 29), Stanford (Oct. 6), and #19 UAlbany (Oct. 27).
- Sophia Lefranc and Alina Gerke lead the team with 10 goals.
- Maddie Moran has tallied a team-best seven assists.
- Lauren Halenkamp has spent 811:21 minutes in goal. Owning a 2.59 goals against average and a .598 save percentage.
SERIES AGAINST THE CATAMOUNTS
- UAlbany leads the all-time series, 25-5.
- Earlier this season UAlbany defeated Vermont, 2-1.
- Sophia Schoonmaker scored an equalizer that was assisted by Alison Smisdom.
- Assisted by Mara Küskes, Isabella Del Vecchio recorded the game-winning goal with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
- The last five contests in the series have been won by just one goal, including overtime victories in 2022 and 2021.
ABOUT #6 MAINE
- Maine owns a 7-11 record and went 3-5 in conference play.
- In the America East, the Black Bears bested UC Davis (Sept. 15) Stanford (Sept. 17), and Bryant (Oct. 6) with losses to UMass Lowell (Sept. 22), #19 UAlbany (Sept. 29), New Hampshire (Oct. 13), Vermont (Oct. 20), and California (Oct. 29).
- Mallory Mackesy leads the team with 12 goals, seven assists, and 31 points.
- Poppy Lambert has tallied a team-best five defensive saves.
- Mallory Drayer and Jayde Temby have split time in the net. In 649:54 minutes, Drayer owns 2.59 goals against average and a .627 save percentage. Temby has tallied 2.29 goals against average with a .667 save percentage in 445:47 minutes.
SERIES AGAINST THE BLACK BEARS
- The Great Danes lead the all-time series, 19-16.
- Earlier this season, the Great Danes defeated the Black Bears, 3-1.
- Alison Smisdom, Axelle Werbrouck, and Charlotte Triggs all tallied goals in the win.
- The last time these two sides met in the America East Tournament was in the 2021 title game with Maine winning in shootouts after two overtime periods.
- In 2022, UAlbany lost their sole matchup to Maine in shootouts.
AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
- Thursday - Quarterfinals
- #5 Vermont vs #4 California, 12 pm
- #6 Maine vs #3 New Hampshire, 3 pm
- Friday - Semifinals
- #4 California vs #1 UMass Lowell, 12 pm
- #6 Maine vs #2 UAlbany, 3 pm
- Sunday - Championships
- Remaining two seeds, 12 pm
UP NEXT: If the Great Danes advance to the AE Championship and win, UAlbany will receive an automatic bid to compete in the NCAA Tournament. Final selections will be released during the 2023 Field Hockey NCAA Selection Show - watch live at 10 pm on Sunday, November 5 at the NCAA website.
For more information on the University at Albany field hockey team, follow the squad's official social media accounts shown below.
Twitter - @ualbanyfh
Instagram & Threads - @ualbanyfh
Facebook – facebook.com/UAlbanyFH
