ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany men's soccer program visits #24 New Hampshire, a rematch of the 2022 America East championship game, on Friday to kick off a two-game road swing.
 
Game Info
September 29, 2023 at #24 New Hampshire (6:00 pm)
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Int'l Stream | Game Notes
 
Leading the Pack

• UAlbany is 0-4-0 on the road this season; New Hampshire is 3-1-0 at home
• New Hampshire ranks fifth in the America East in scoring offense; UAlbany ranks sixth
• New Hampshire ranks third in the America East in scoring defense; UAlbany ranks fourth
• Alex Pechacek ranks second in the America East in assists, and seventh nationally 

Scouting New Hampshire
The Wildcats have won four America East titles since the 2018 season, and have made an appearance in each of the last six NCAA Tournaments.  In 2023, New Hampshire opened their season with a tie at VCU, and have since gone 5-1-1.  The Wildcats upset #11 Florida International on the road in a rematch of their NCAA Tournament meeting that ended New Hampshire's season last year after 12 rounds of penalty kicks.  Eli Goldman leads the Wildcats with four goals, while Bilal Kamal has two goals and two assists for six total points.  UAlbany is 10-10-3 against New Hampshire since 2001, with the Wildcats winning each of the last three in the series.
 
Last Time vs. New Hampshire
November 13, 2022 | UAlbany made its third appearance in the America East title game, having won each of its first two trips in 2016 and 2017.  Their opponent was top-seed New Hampshire, which hosted their fifth-straight championship.  The Wildcats scored twice in the first half, ending UAlbany's shutout streak at 525 consecutive minutes, and held on to win their fourth league title since 2018.
 
Last Time Out
The Great Danes opened their 2023 America East schedule by hosting UMBC, having enjoyed a 3-1-2 record against the Retrievers in their last six meetings.  Further, UMBC had not won a game in Albany since the 2010 season.  In the latest meeting, UMBC built a 2-0 lead after 71 minutes.  The Great Danes scored late, in the 89th minute, when Timo Jansen set up Mamadi Jiana to avoid the shutout.
 
Around the America East
After one game in conference play, three teams share the league lead with three points each: #14 Vermont, UMBC, and NJIT.  #24 New Hampshire tied Binghamton in their conference opener, and are tied with the Bearcats for fourth place.  Finally, three teams, Bryant, UAlbany, and UMass Lowell, are tied with zero points.  Bryant retains the best overall record in the America East, 8-1-0, and dropped their first game of the season, and conceded their first and only goal of the season so far, against Vermont.
 
Friday's America East Games

• UAlbany at #24 New Hampshire, 6:00 pm

Common Opponents

• Boston University
  • UAlbany: 8/24 at Boston University, L, 1-2
  • New Hampshire: 8/27 vs. Boston University, W, 2-1

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 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 Cornell on October 3.