ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany men's soccer team returns to Casey Stadium for its 2023 home opener against BIG EAST opponent Villanova.
 
Game Info
August 27, 2023 vs. Villanova (6:00 pm)
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Game Notes
 
Leading the Pack

• UAlbany went 3-2-4 at home in 2022; Villanova went 1-5-2 on the road
• Villanova has won just one of its last seven games
• The Great Danes return eight of 17 goals scored from 2022
• The Great Danes' defense held opponents scoreless for a stretch of 525 minutes at the end of the 2022 season, a streak which ended in the first half of the America East title game

Scouting Villanova
Villanova plays its season opener following a 2022 campaign in which the Wildcats went 6-8-3 overall, but closed the year going 1-5-1 in its final seven games.  Villanova returns two of its top four scorers from last season in Balthi Saunders and Akinjide Awujo, but will need to replace leading goal-scorers Biktor Benediktsson and Lyam MacKinnon, each of whom found the back of the net five times in 2022.  Villanova was picked to finish tied for fifth in the East Division in the 2023 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll.  UAlbany is 1-2-0 in three Division I era meetings against Villanova.
 
Last Time vs. Villanova
September 3, 2021 | UAlbany secured its second victory of the season, defeating Villanova on the road 1-0 in the team's second-straight road game against an opponent from the BIG EAST.  Despite Villanova's defense holding UAlbany without a shot in the first half, UAlbany's defense held tough, turning away nine first-half Wildcats' shots.  In the 73rd minute, Haflidi Sigurdarson successfully converted a penalty kick to break the scoreless tie, and UAlbany's defense held through the remainder of the game to clinch the win by the same score, 1-0.
 
Last Time Out
For the second-straight season, the UAlbany men's soccer team opened its season playing former America East opponent Boston University, this time in Boston.  After a scoreless first half in which the Great Danes created a number of quality scoring chances, Mohamed Soumah put UAlbany on the board after a Boston University turnover in their defensive third in the 62nd minute.  The Terriers rallied, however, scoring twice in the final five minutes to claim a 2-1 victory.
 
Around the America East
America East teams went 3-3-1 on the first day of the season, highlighted by #12 Vermont defeating Western Michigan in Burlington, 2-0.  UMBC won a high-scoring affair at George Mason, 4-3, and Bryant outlasted CCSU 1-0.  #23 New Hampshire tied VCU on the road, 1-1.  UMass Lowell, the final team to play, opened its season a day later at Lafayette.
 
Sunday's America East Games

• NJIT at Northwestern, 2:30pm
• Boston University at #23 New Hampshire, 5:00 pm
• Villanova at UAlbany, 6:00 pm
• Bryant at Fairfield, 7:00 pm

 Upcoming Milestones

• Trevor Gorman: 95 career wins
• Program: 495 wins

 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 hosts Niagara on September 1.