ALBANY, N.Y. - The #13 UAlbany field hockey team hosts a Friday afternoon contest before heading to Pennsylvania for a game on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Great Danes will host Bryant for their Breast Cancer Awareness game on Friday, October 11.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Bryant at #13 UAlbany
DATE: Friday, October 11
TIME: 2:00 PM
SITE: Alumni Turf - Albany, N.Y.
RECORDS: UAlbany 9-2, 2-0 America East; Bryant 3-8, 0-2 America East
SERIES RECORD: 9-0, UAlbany leads
STREAM: AE.TV
STATS: UAlbanySports.com
 
#13 UAlbany at Lehigh
DATE: Sunday, October 13
TIME: 1:00 PM
SITE: Ulrich Field - Bethlehem, Pa.
RECORDS: UAlbany 9-2, 2-0 America East; Lehigh 6-4, 1-1 Patriot League
SERIES RECORD: 4-0, UAlbany leads
STREAM: Mountain Hawks All Access
STATS: LehighSports.com
 
*records as of 10.10
 
LAST WEEK IN REVIEW

• The Great Danes went 1-1 for the first time since opening weekend. After defeating Hofstra on the road, UAlbany fell to eighth-ranked UConn.
• Tallying three goals against the Pride, the Great Danes earned a shutout victory on Friday. Senior Alison Smisdom, graduate student Charlotte Triggs, and freshman Eva Jenniskens each scored a goal.
• #8 UConn won the Sunday matchup with two goals to UAlbany's zero. Smisdom led with four shots, including one on goal.

 
GREAT DANE REWIND

• Halfway through the 2024 season, UAlbany is ranked 13th in the latest NFHCA Coaches Poll.
• Overall, the Great Danes' sole losses on the season are to two teams ranked in the top five in the NCAA RPI rankings - #3 Ohio State and #4 UConn. They have defeated every other opponent for nine total wins. Ranked wins come from #7 Harvard (9.13) on the road and #14 Liberty (9.29) at home. 
• UAlbany has collected two wins past regulation. Both contests were against Ivy League foes - Cornell in shootouts and Harvard in the first overtime.
• Alison Smisdom leads the team with 16 goals and 34 points. Her 1.45 goals per game and 3.09 points per game are second in the nation. On defense, she is tied for sixth with three defensive saves.
• On the assist, senior Floor de Ruiter is top ten in the nation with .82 per game (nine total).
• A Great Dane currently leads the conference in all field player statistics - Smisdom (shots, shots on goal, goals, points, game-winning goals & defensive saves) and de Ruiter (assists). 
• Senior Lara Behn is UAlbany's starting goalkeeper. She has played all but 34 minutes on the season, including helping the Great Danes to a win over Cornell with two saves in three shootout attempts against the Big Red.

 
WORK AS A TEAM, WIN AS A TEAM
(As of October 10)

• In the nation, UAlbany ranks:
  • T8th - .818 winning percentage
  • T9th - 5 defensive saves
  • T10th - 2.64 assists per game
  • 12th - 8.45 points per game
  • T12th - 2.91 goals per game
  • T12th - .36 shutouts per game
  • 14th - 2.80 scoring average
  • 14th - 1.40 scoring margin
• The Great Danes' rank in the conference:
  • 1st - 8.45 points per game
  • 1st - 2.91 goals per game
  • 1st - 2.63 assists per game
  • 2nd - 9.27 shots on goal per game
  • 2nd - 1.45 goals against per game
  • 3rd - 13.64 shots per game

 
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE
(As of October 10)

• The Great Danes have four student-athletes currently ranked in the national (NCAA Division I) stats:
  • Alison Smisdom
    • 2nd - 1.45 goals per game
    • 2nd - 3.09 points per game
    • T6th - 3 defensive saves
  • Floor de Ruiter
    • T7th - .82 assists per game
  • Lara Behn
    • 10th - .818 goalie win-loss percentage
    • 31st - 1.492 goals against average
  • Mara Küskes
    • T27th - .55 assists per game

 
IN THE AMERICA EAST
(As of October 3)

• The Great Danes have leaders in each of the seven offensive and two of the four goalie stat categories:
  • Shots on Goal/Game
    • 1st - 4.00 - Alison Smisdom
    • 9th - 2.09 - Floor de Ruiter
    • 17th - 1.64 - Charlotte Triggs
    • T23rd - 1.27 - Mara Küskes
  • Shots/Game
    • 1st - 2.73 - Alison Smisdom
    • 13th - 1.18 - Charlotte Triggs
    • 15th - 1.09 - Floor de Ruiter
    • T24th - .82 - Mara Küskes, Lotje Ligthart
  • Goals/Game
    • 1st - 1.455 - Alison Smisdom
    • T18th - .273 - Eva Jenniskens, Lotje Ligthart
  • Assists/Game
    • 1st - .818 - Floor de Ruiter
    • 3rd - .545 - Mara Küskes
    • T18th - .273 - Blanca Orsola, Charlotte Triggs
  • Game-Winning Goals/Game
    • 1st - 545 - Alison Smisdom
    • T7th - .182 - Eva Jenniskens
    • T13th - .091 - Floor de Ruiter
  • Points/Game
    • 1st - 3.09 - Alison Smisdom
    • T10th - 1.18 - Floor de Ruiter
    • 17th - .91 - Mara Küskes
  • Defensive Saves
    • T1st - 3 - Alison Smisdom
    • T7th - 1 - Mara Küskes, Charlotte Triggs

 
ABOUT BRYANT

• The Bulldogs have three wins in an 11-game season with two conference losses so far.
• Opening with a win over Fairfield (8.30), Bryant went on a three-game losing streak.
• Merrimack (9.17) and Stonehill (9.20) proved to be back-to-back wins for the Bulldogs.
• Currently, Bryant is on a five-game losing streak with losses to AE opponents, New Hampshire (9.27) and UMass Lowell (10.4).
• Caitlin Gallagher leads the Bulldogs with four goals while Eva Boogers follows closely with three.
• Filou Verhoeven owns a team-high four assists.
• Gallagher, Boogers, and Verhoeven are tied with eight points each.
• As a team, the Bulldogs have totaled six defensive saves - Linde van Leeuwen leads with three while Jenny Sorrentino and Natalie Griffin follow with two and one, respectively.
• Sara DeSousa has started 10 of 11 games in goal for Bryant. She has 438 minutes in goal with a .727 save percentage and a 2.46 goals against average.
• Maud van Lierop serves as the backup goaltender with 231 minutes in goal. She owns a 2.34 goals against average and a .757 save percentage.

SERIES AGAINST THE BULLDOGS

• UAlbany leads the all-time series, 8-0.
• In two years as conference opponents, the Great Danes have defeated Bryant twice and have scored four goals in each contest.
• During the 2023 game, Alison Smisdom led with two goals and Delphine Le Jeune added a goal. Mara Küskes tallied two assists in the 4-2 win.

 
ABOUT LEHIGH

• The Mountain Hawks have totaled six wins in 10 games with a split, 1-1, record in conference play.
• Trading results in the beginning of the season, Lehigh has won four of the last five contests, including a shutout over Fairfield (9.15).
• Julia Gatelein leads the team with seven goals and 16 points.
• Four players own a team-high two assists - Gatelein, Maddie Kandra, Ella Stephenson, and Aubrey Ide.
• In goal, Jenny Canoni has played 520 minutes for a 2.42 goals against average and a .667 save percentage.
• Backup goaltender, Kate Burgess, has seen the field in four different contests for just under 80 minutes of action.

 
SERIES AGAINST THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS

• The Great Danes are 4-0 against Lehigh.
• In 2023, UAlbany defeated the Mountain Hawks, 4-0, for senior day.
• Current senior Isabella Del Vecchio scored two goals to lead the team with Floor de Ruiter and Mara Küskes scoring one each. Both of Del Vecchio's goals were assisted by Alison Smisdom.
• The first meeting between the two teams was in 2003 with a win at Alumni Turf.

 
AROUND THE AMERICA EAST

• UAlbany leads the conference with two league wins and a .889 overall win percentage.
• Maine and New Hampshire are tied with the Great Danes with two league wins.
• UMass Lowell and Vermont sit even with one loss and one win.
• Bryant and UC Davis round out the conference on the hunt for their first conference win.

 
AMERICA EAST CONTESTS THIS WEEK

• Friday
  • Vermont at New Hampshire, 2 pm
  • Bryant at UAlbany, 2 pm
  • Maine at UMass Lowell, 3 pm
• Sunday
  • Holy Cross at Maine, 12 pm
  • UAlbany at Lehigh, 1 pm

 
UP NEXT
The Great Danes will head on the road for two contests - New Hampshire (10.18) and Boston College (10.20).
 
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