ALBANY, N.Y. - The #13 UAlbany field hockey team heads on the road for a weekend in New England.
GAME INFORMATION
#13 UAlbany ay New Hampshire
DATE: Friday, October 18
TIME: 2:00 PM
SITE: Memorial Field - Durham, N.H.
RECORDS: UAlbany 11-2, 3-0 America East; New Hampshire 6-7, 3-0 America East
SERIES RECORD: 20-13, UAlbany leads
STREAM:
AE.TV
STATS:
UNHWildcats.com
#13 UAlbany at #9 Boston College
DATE: Sunday, October 20
TIME: 2:00 PM
SITE: Field Hockey Complex - Newton, Mass.
RECORDS: UAlbany 11-2, 3-0 America East; Boston College 10-3, 5-0 ACC
SERIES RECORD: 3-1, Boston College leads
STREAM: ACCNX (direct link coming soon)
STATS:
BCEagles.com
*records as of 10.17
LAST WEEK IN REVIEW
- The Great Dane defense served as the strong point during a 2-0 weekend that saw wins over league opponent, Bryant (10/11), and Lehigh (10/13).
- Tallying a 3-0 shutout against the Bulldogs, UAlbany allowed just three shots in the Friday afternoon contest.
- Three different scorers helped with the win - graduate student Charlotte Triggs, senior Alison Smisdom, and sophomore Mara Küskes.
- In Sunday's 2-1 over Lehigh, the Great Dane defense allowed just one additional shot for a goal (four shots).
- Smisdom and junior Sophia Schoonmaker scored the goals for UAlbany.
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 11 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 18 goals and 38 points. Her 1.38 goals per game and 2.92 points per game are second in the nation. On defense, she is tied for eighth with three defensive saves.
- On the assist, senior Floor de Ruiter leads the conference with .69 assists per game. She currently ranks top 15 in the nation (13th).
- 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). Mara Küskes is right behind de Ruiter in assists per game.
- 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 17)
- In the nation, UAlbany ranks:
- T6th - .846 winning percentage
- T10th - 2.85 goals per game
- T10th - .38 shutouts per game
- 11th - 2.54 assists per game
- 11th - 8.23 points per game
- 12th - 1.49 scoring margin
- 13th - 2.75 scoring average
- T13th - 5 defensive saves
- The Great Danes' rank in the conference:
- 1st - 8.23 points per game
- 1st - 2.54 assists per game
- 1st - 9.69 shots on goal per game
- 1st - 1.31 goals against per game
- T1st - 2.85 goals per game
- 3rd - 14.69 shots per game
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE
(As of October 17)
- The Great Danes have four student-athletes currently ranked in the national (NCAA Division I) stats:
- Alison Smisdom
- 2nd - 1.38 goals per game
- 2nd - 2.92 points per game
- T8th - 3 defensive saves
- Floor de Ruiter
- 13th - .69 assists per game
- Lara Behn
- 8th - .846 goalie win-loss percentage
- 26th - 1.336 goals against average
- Mara Küskes
- T26th - .54 assists per game
IN THE AMERICA EAST
(As of October 17)
- The Great Danes have leaders in each of the seven offensive and two of the four goalie stat categories:
- Shots/Game
- Shots on Goal/Game
- Goals/Game
- Assists/Game
- Game-Winning Goals/Game
- Points/Game
- Defensive Saves
ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE
- The Wildcats are just below .500 with six wins and seven losses.
- Opening the 2024 season with losses to #13 Saint Joseph's (8.31) and currently ranked #5 UConn (9.1), UNH saw their first two wins in a pair of shutout victories over Quinnipiac (9.6) and Lafayette (9.8).
- After four consecutive losses, two of which were to ranked opponents, the Wildcats defeated Bryant (9.27) in their conference opener.
- Seeing three wins in the four following contests, New Hampshire has remained undefeated in America East action with wins over UC Davis (10.4) and Vermont (10.11).
- Kathelijne Knuttel leads the team with 12 goals and 27 points.
- Helping on both sides of a goal - second on the team in goals and assists - Tasmin Cookman follows with 22 points.
- Team leader in assists (7), Faye Meijer has 15 points and Nicole Poulakis is close behind with 14.
- Abby Johnson is the Wildcats' starting goalkeeper. Having played nearly 613 minutes, she leads with a .594 save percentage and a 2.55 goals against average. Kerrigan Ross follows with two starts and 176 minutes for a 3.41 goals against average and a .583 save percentage.
SERIES AGAINST THE WILDCATS
- UAlbany leads the all-time series, 20-13.
- In 2023, the Great Danes earned a 3-1 victory. Alison Smisdom, Floor de Ruiter, and Sophia Schoonmaker each scored a goal in the contest.
- During 2022, UAlbany and New Hampshire met twice, including a postseason victory in the conference tournament.
ABOUT #9 BOSTON COLLEGE
- The Eagles are 10-3 after 13 contests in 2024.
- Undefeated in their conference, BC has earned victories over Wake Forest (9.20), Louisville (9.28), #3 Virginia (10.4), #18 California (10.11), and Stanford (10.13).
- Outside of conference play, Boston College has fallen to all three ranked opponents - #4 Maryland (9.6), #1 Northwestern (9.8), and #19 UMass (10.6).
- Four Eagles lead the team with double-digit points. Peyton Hale is at the top with 21 points from a team-high eight goals and five assists.
- Madelieve Drion (19) and Yani Zhong (17) are tied with seven goals with each tallying their respective point amounts.
- Mia Garber rounds out the four with 11 points from three goals and five assists.
- In goal, Charlotte Kramer has played all but 45 minutes for the Eagles. She has earned a 1.14 goals against average and a .731 save percentage.
SERIES AGAINST THE EAGLES
- Boston College leads the series, 3-1.
- The Great Danes tallied the most recent victory in 2022. Alison Smisdom scored the game-winning goal in double overtime. Charlotte Triggs and Smisdom, along with former Great Dane, Luisa Knapp, each scored a goal in regulation during the 4-3 win.
- The first meeting between the two teams was at the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
AROUND THE AMERICA EAST
- UAlbany leads the conference with three league wins and a .846 overall win percentage.
- New Hampshire is tied with the Great Danes with three conference wins in as many games.
- Maine and UMass Lowell follow with two wins in three America East contests.
- Vermont is just below .500 with a 1-2 AE record.
- Bryant and UC Davis round out the conference on the hunt for their first conference win.
AMERICA EAST CONTESTS THIS WEEK
- Friday
- UAlbany at New Hampshire, 2 pm
- Maine at Bryant, 3 pm
- UMass Lowell at Vermont, 3 pm
- UC Davis at Iowa, 6 pm
- Sunday
- Maine at Northeastern, 12 pm
- Colgate at Bryant, 12 pm
- UAlbany at Boston College, 2 pm
- Dartmouth at UMass Lowell, 2 pm
- Boston U at New Hampshire, 2 pm
- UC Davis at Northwestern, 3 pm
- Merrimack at Vermont, 3 pm
UP NEXT
The Great Danes will prepare for a big week including a road game at Maine (10.25) and their Senior Day contest against Colgate (10.27).
Keep up with all of the latest news, highlights, and insights on UAlbany field hockey by following the team on
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