ALBANY, N.Y. – Pushed by a day to account for the rescheduling of the match against Marist, the University at Albany men's soccer team hits the road to visit Army West Point.
 
Game Info
September 12, 2023 at Army West Point (6:00 pm)
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Game Notes
 
Leading the Pack

• UAlbany is 0-2-0 on the road this season; Army West Point is 1-2-0 at home this season
• UAlbany has recorded a shutout in seven of its last 11 games
• Army West Point has lost three-straight games
• UAlbany has played Army West Point once since the 2004 season

 Scouting Army West Point
The Black Knights won their 2023 season opener over Air Force, 3-2, but have dropped each of their last three since then and have been outscored 6-3 during that stretch.  Jubril Bamgbala leads Army West Point this season with two goals scored, while the Black Knights have seen scoring from four other players with one goal each.  Last season, Army West Point went 8-4-5 overall and 5-1-3 in the Patriot League, but was upset in the Patriot League semifinal round by American.  The Black Knights were picked to finish sixth in the 2023 Patriot League Preseason Coaches Poll, and saw two players, Nick Atkinson and Cooper Warren, earn Preseason All-League honors, with Atkinson further identified by the United Soccer Coaches as a Division I Player to Watch for 2023.  UAlbany is 3-2-0 in five Division I era meetings against the Black Knights, with four games being played from 1999-03.
 
Last Time vs. Army West Point
October 11, 2022 | UAlbany hosted Army West Point to kick off their season-long three-game home stand.  The Black Knights were given a straight red card on a hard slide tackle in the 26th minute and continued for the rest of the game with 10 players.  Despite the disadvantage, and despite UAlbany's pressure of 10 corner kicks and 61% possession, Army West Point drew a foul in UAlbany's box in the 66th minute and converted the ensuing PK to take a 1-0 lead, which would prove to be the final score.
 
Last Time Out
UAlbany got the better of Marist by a score of 3-1, improving to 4-1-0 against the Red Foxes over the last five games in one of the Great Danes' tightest current rivalries.  It was the first game between the teams in the last seven that was decided by more than one goal.  All three UAlbany goals were scored by center backs Tiago Dias (17', 54') and Santiago Frias (57') on set pieces, and were assisted in part or in full by midfielder Alex Pechacek.
 
Around the America East
Two teams in the conference, unbeaten and untied Bryant and #12 Vermont, each have four victories at the quarter-pole of the season.  Three more, unbeaten UMBC plus New Hampshire and UAlbany, have won three games.  UMass Lowell has fallen behind a bit at 1-1-2, with NJIT tying each of its last two games.  Binghamton is the only America East school to have most recently suffered a defeat.
 
Tuesday's America East Games

• Drexel at UMass Lowell, 5:00 pm
• UAlbany at Army West Point, 6:00 pm
• UMBC at Hofstra, 7:00 pm
• Stonehill at Bryant, 7:00 pm
• La Salle at NJIT, 7:00 pm

 Upcoming Milestones

• Trevor Gorman: 98 career wins
• Program: 498 wins 

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 has recorded seven shutouts in its last 10 games dating back to the 2022 season.  Since playing Colgate to a 1-1 tie on October 18, 2022, UAlbany has 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 Penn on September 16.