ALBANY, N.Y. – The #23-ranked University at Albany women's lacrosse team remains on the road and pays a visit to reigning MAAC champion Fairfield on Saturday.
 
Game Info
February 20, 2024 at Fairfield (1:00 pm)
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Game Notes
 
Leading the Pack

• UAlbany went 5-5 on the road last season; Fairfield went 8-1 at home
• Katie Pascale is one draw away from tying UAlbany's program record held by Nikki Branchini
• Pascale ranks sixth nationally in total assists
• Grace Cincebox has recorded double-digit saves in each of her last three games
• Cincebox ranks third nationally in total saves

Scouting Fairfield
The Stags are 1-1 on the season through two games, with a defeat in their opener to Holy Cross and an upset of #24-ranked UConn in their latest match.  In 2023, Fairfield went 14-5, including 8-1 at home, en route to the program's fifth-straight MAAC title.  Their season ended in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament against Loyola, 11-6.  The Stags return two of their top-three point scorers from last season, Elizabeth Talltuto, and Libby Rowe.  Talltuto and Rowe earned spots on the Preseason All-MAAC Team with defender Lindsey Barnes.  The Stags were picked as favorites to win the league once again in the Preseason MAAC Coaches' Poll.  Saturday will be the second-ever meeting between UAlbany and Fairfield in the program's Division I era, with the Great Danes winning the lone previous meeting last season.
 
Last Time vs. Fairfield
February 22, 2023 | For the second-straight game, junior midfielder Katie Pascale scored five goals to go with four assists for a total of nine points.  Pascale's performance powered UAlbany to its first win of 2023 over the four-time defending MAAC champion Fairfield.  The Stags scored first but scored five of the next six to jump out to a 5-2 lead after the first quarter.  Pascale recorded a hat trick in the first half, leading UAlbany to an 11-5 lead at halftime.  After Fairfield scored twice to open the third, UAlbany ended the quarter on a 5-0 run to go up 16-7.  Fairfield rallied in the fourth, outscoring UAlbany 6-0 before a final goal from Pascale brought the final score to 17-13 in favor of the Great Danes.
 
Last Time Out
UAlbany visited #2 and 2023 national runner-up Boston College for its 2024 road opener.  The game was delayed by one day due to inclement weather in the Boston area.  The Eagled jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead before Grace McCauley scored the first of her three goals during the game to put the Great Danes on the board.  UAlbany used a 4-0 run to close the second and open the third quarters to close within two, 8-6.  Boston College scored two goals at the end of the third quarter to go back up by four, and outscored UAlbany 5-1 in the fourth to win 15-7.
 
Around the America East
UMass Lowell has climbed into a share of first place in the early standings with 2022 conference champion Vermont, with both teams claiming victory in their first two games of the year.  Three teams behind the River Hawks and Catamounts, Bryant, New Hampshire, and UMBC, are each 1-1 through their first two games.  Finally, both of last season's title game participants, #23 UAlbany and Binghamton, still seek their first victory of the season.  The Great Danes' two games this season were against opponents ranked #14 and #2.
 
Saturday's America East Games

• UMass Lowell at LIU, 11:00 am
• George Washington at UMBC, 12:00 pm
• Sacred Heart at Bryant, 12:00 pm
• Vermont at Merrimack, 12:00 pm
• Detroit Mercy at New Hampshire, 1:00 pm
• #23 UAlbany at Fairfield, 1:00 pm

Upcoming Milestones

• Grace Cincebox: 9 wins
• Bryar Hogg: 41 assists
• Allie Maloney: 49 appearances, 42 goals
• Katie Pascale: 47 caused turnovers, 246 points, 92 ground balls
• Ava Poupard: 48 points, 42 goals

Milestones Achieved

• Bryar Hogg: 50 appearances (2/9 vs. #14 Johns Hopkins)
• Haley Phalines: 100 draws (2/9 vs. #14 Johns Hopkins)
• Bryar Hogg: 50 goals (2/14 at #2 Boston College)

Division I Program Career Rankings (since 2004)

• Katie Pascale: Assists (1st, 117); Points (1st, 246); Draws (2nd, 283); Goals (10th, 129)

America East Conference Career Rankings

• Katie Pascale: Points (t-10th, 246); Assists (5th, 117); Draws (5th, 283)

Caged
Grace Cincebox set a career-high in saves in the Great Danes' NCAA Second Round game at #5 Denver, stopping 14 of the Pioneers' shots.  In her very next game, the 2024 season opener, Cincebox did one better, turning away 15 shots from #14 Johns Hopkins.  Her saves total against the Blue Jays ranks in a tie for 10th-most in the program's Division I history in a single game.  No Great Dane has exceeded 15 saves in a game since Katie Neer stopped 17 shots in 2009, and only two players, Neer and Jen Daly, have ever recorded more than 15.
 
Where She Left Off
Not missing a beat, Katie Pascale started her 2024 season in much the same way as she conducted her 2023 season.  In the team's season-opener against #14 Johns Hopkins, Pascale scored a total of seven points, notching three goals and recording four assists.  Additionally, Pascale won six draws, three ground balls, and caused one turnover, solidifying her all-around performance.  Her efforts earned America East Offensive Player of the Week honors.
 
Preseason Honors
Following her stellar 2023 season, Katie Pascale was named a 2024 Preseason All-America Honorable Mention by Inside Lacrosse.  The reigning America East Midfielder of the year, Pascale earned the same distinction at the end of last year from the publication after setting numerous UAlbany program and America East Conference records.
 
Top-25
The start of the 2024 season will see a top-25 matchup for the Great Danes.  Ranked #21 in the preseason national media poll, the Great Danes welcome preseason #14 John Hopkins to John Fallon Field for the first time to kick off their title defense.
 
Picked First
The Great Danes were the unanimous pick to win the 2024 America East title as picked by the league's coaching staff in the preseason poll.  UAlbany landed 36 total points and all six available first-place votes, ahead of projected runner-up and 2022 champion Vermont, 29 points, and 2023 runner-up Binghamton, 28 points and the last remaining first-place vote.
 
Under-the-Radar & Underrated
Inside Lacrosse identified UAlbany as one of five women's teams in 2024 flying under the radar after their impressive 2023 campaign that saw the team win their first America East title in more than a decade and upset #12 Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  Despite the departures of potent scorers Sarah Falk and Shonly Wallace during the offseason, the Great Danes return two 50-point scorers, Katie Pascale and Bryar Hogg, the former of whom Inside Lacrosse later named as the fourth most underrated Division I player in the country in 2024.
 
Schedule Strength
Once again, the Great Danes will boast one of the toughest schedules in the country.  Highlighted by the presence of three of four 2023 Final Four teams, including both national champion Northwestern and runner-up Boston College, UAlbany's 2024 schedule features seven teams that earned berths into the 2023 NCAA Tournament, three 2023 conference champions, and six teams ranked in the final media poll of 2023, including each of the top three.  Five opponents landed spots in the 2024 national media and coaches' poll, including three earning spots in the top-six.
 
PLL Year Six
Tom & Mary Casey Stadium on the campus of UAlbany will once again host opening weekend and training camp for the 2024 season of the Premier Lacrosse League.  Games will take place May 31 through June 2, and feature the inaugural home games for the newly-designated New York Atlas.  As part of the shift to home venues, the Atlas will play twice during opening weekend.
 
45
For her senior season, attack Bryar Hogg will changer her number from 11 to 45, which holds a special significance for Canadian players, and particularly from those who attended The Hill Academy, where Hogg attended high school.  The number honors Jamieson Kuhlmann, who passed away following an in-game collision in 2008.  Hogg inherits the number from Mackenzie Beam, another Hill Academy player who switched from 91 to 45 last year.  Hogg also now wears the same number as her brother, Graydon, who has worn 45 for his entire career on the UAlbany men's team.
 
The Hidden Opponent
Junior attack Ava Poupard has assumed the role of president of the UAlbany chapter of the Hidden Opponent, a national nonprofit organization that strives to educate, break the stigma around student-athlete mental health, and honor lives lost.
 
Olympics
The International Olympic Committee approved the addition of lacrosse sixes for inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.  Lacrosse was one of five sports, with baseball and softball, cricket, flag football, and squash, to gain approval from the governing board.  A decision regarding the Haudenosaunee national team participation is forthcoming.
 
Top-100
Inside Lacrosse named newcomer Mikaela Mooney to their 2024 freshman top-100 list ahead of the new season.  Mooney, an attacker, is the latest recruit to join the Great Danes from Bayport-Blue Point High School, and earned All-America honors in 2023 after winning the 2023 New York State title, scoring 79 goals with 43 assists in a career in which Bayport-Blue Point went 53-3 in 56 games.
 
Super Sophomore
Ahead of the 2024 season, Inside Lacrosse recognized Grace Cincebox on their list of sophomores to watch for the new year.  As a freshman, Cincebox took over the starting job in goal for the Great Danes late in the season, finishing her first year with a record of 9-2, starting each of UAlbany's final eight games.  After winning the America East title over Binghamton and upsetting #12 Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Cincebox allowed a season-low eight goals for a full 60 minutes against #5 Denver in the second round, while making a season-high 14 stops against the Pioneers.
 
Fall Classic
Continuing UAlbany's tradition of competing on an international prior to, during, and after their Great Danes' careers, sophomore midfielder Emma Torkoff had the opportunity to represent Team Canada at the 2023 USA Lacrosse Fall Classic in Sparks, Md.  Torkoff competed on Canada's U20 team, and will undergo evaluation for inclusion on the roster that will compete at the 2024 Women's U20 Championship in Hong Kong in August.
 
Box Training
UAlbany alumnae Emma Powlin ('18) earned an invitation to participate in the 2024 Team USA Box Training Camp.  USA Lacrosse selected 48 players to participate in the team's build up for the first-ever Women's World Lacrosse Box Championships, to take place in Utica, N.Y. in September, 2024.  Powlin, who finished her UAlbany career with 72 assists, is one of 42 runners on the training roster.
 
2023 Super Sixes
UAlbany women's lacrosse once again made its presence felt on the national stage, with two members of the program competing in the 2023 World Lacrosse Super Sixes tournament in Oshawa, Canada.  Coaching Assistant Shonly Wallace, competing for Team Canada, and freshman Paisley Cook, competing for Team Haudenosaunee, took the field against one another, as well as against Kenya and the United States.  Both Wallace and Cook made return appearances for their nations at the Super Sixes in 2023.
 
Sidelines
After her one season at UAlbany, Shonly Wallace will remain a part of the Great Danes team and move into a role on the coaching staff.  Wallace joins Coaches Thomson, Frink, and Gallagher as a Coaching Assistant in 2024 as she completes her graduate degree at the University.  Wallace made an immediate impact on UAlbany upon her arrival, finishing her lone year with 51 goals and five assists and earning All-Conference First Team honors.
 
Rewriting
Katie Pascale broke several UAlbany and America East records during the 2023 season.  She took over as the program's career leader in total points, 237, and total assists, 111, as the program's single-season leader in draw controls, 139, and as the program's single-game leader in total points, 12.  Her single-season draws total and single-game points total were also America East Conference and America East Tournament records, respectively.
 
4 x 50
The 2023 Great Danes ended the season featuring four players who scored 50 or more points.  Katie Pascale led the way with 92, followed by 78 from Sarah Falk, 57 from Bryar Hogg, and 56 from Shonly Wallace.  Pascale and Hogg return for the 2024 season.
 
Leaders
UAlbany ended the 2023 season as the best team in Division I in free-position percentage, successfully converting at a rate of .560, ahead of second-best Virginia Tech's .548.  Sarah Falk (18) and Shonly Wallace (14) were the Great Danes' most prominent contributors of free-position goals, but UAlbany returns three players, Katie Pascale, Bryar Hogg, and Grace McCauley, who each scored at least five.
 
Ranking
After their historic run in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, the Great Danes finished the year ranked #18 in the final Inside Lacrosse/IWLCA Media Poll.  The ranking was UAlbany's first since landing #24 in the 2018 preseason poll.
 
Win Totals
UAlbany's 13 victories in 2023 are the most in a single season since winning 14 in 2015, and the most since Katie Thomson took over as head coach in 2019.  The Great Danes as a program have won at least 13 games in five seasons now: 18 in 2011, 14 in 2014 and 2015, and 13 in 2010 and now 2023.
 
Shocked the World
After trailing by seven in the third quarter, UAlbany rallied to upset #12 Virginia in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, 16-14.  UAlbany outscored Virginia 13-7 in the second half, and 13-4 after trailing by seven.  It was UAlbany's second-ever victory in the NCAA Tournament, following a defeat of Dartmouth, 10-7, in the 2011 First Round, and the second victory over a ranked opponent of the Katie Thomson era.
 
All-Region
For the third-straight season, midfielder Katie Pascale earned IWLCA All-Northeast honors.  In 2023, Pascale earned her second Second Team selection, previously earning Second Team honors following her freshman year.  As a sophomore, Pascale became the first Great Dane to earn First Team honors since Sarah Martin in 2017.  Pascale was once again one of the top players in the America East in 2023, leading the league in points, assists, and draws.
 
Champions III
For the third time in program history, and the first time since 2012, the UAlbany women's lacrosse team won the America East title.  The Great Danes defeated the two-seeded Binghamton Bearcats in a 14-13 thriller at home on John Fallon Field and ended a nine-game losing streak in the title game.  Sarah Falk and Shonly Wallace powered UAlbany's offense, scoring five goals apiece.
 
Record-Breaker
Junior midfielder Katie Pascale set or tied four records in UAlbany's America East semifinal victory over four-seed New Hampshire.  With her third assist of the game, Pascale broke Sam Tortora's record for career assists, previously 101.  Pascale scored 12 total points in the game to set UAlbany's single-game record as well as the America East single-game tournament record.  Finally, Pascale's seven goals tied the America East single-game tournament record.
 
Midfielder of the Year
Katie Pascale was named just the second America East Midfielder of the Year in program history, following Sarah Martin in 2017.  Pascale, for the second-straight season, is UAlbany's leading scorer, totaling 69 points behind 38 goals and 31 assists.  Additionally, Pascale as won 108 draws, overtaking the program's single-season record.  Pascale is further closing in on the program's career points, assists, and draws record.
 
Regular-Season Champions III
For the first time since the 2011 season, the UAlbany women's lacrosse team won the outright America East regular season title.  It is the program's third outright title and fourth overall, having more recently shared the title with Stony Brook during the 2014 season.  UAlbany finished 2023 a perfect 6-0 against America East opponents.
 
Unbeaten III
With their win over Bryant to close the 2023 regular season, the Great Danes clinched their first unbeaten-in-conference season since 2011, and just their third overall.  UAlbany defeated all six America East opponents on their schedule this season, having suffered no more than two-losses in-conference each season since 2013.
 
Mainstays
The UAlbany women's lacrosse team has made 12-straight trips to the America East title game, winning the conference tournament in 2011, 2012 and 2023.  Before 2023, the Great Danes had met departed conference rival Stony Brook in nine-straight finals.
 
#21 Retired
Syracuse University announced in August, 2021 that Katie Thomson will have her jersey honored in a ceremony during the 2021-22 academic season.  Thomson is one of four former Orange student-athletes selected for the honor this season, and one of three women, with Felisha Legette-Jack and Anna Goodale.  This group of four, including former men's lacrosse star and current men's lacrosse head coach Gary Gait, who coached Thomson when she played for the Orange, are the first to receive the honor outside the Orange's primary revenue sports.  Further, Thomson, Legette-Jack, and Goodale are the first women to receive the honor in Syracuse history.  The ceremony took place on February 20.
 
2021 Coach of the Year
Third-year head coach Katie Thomson was named 2021 America East Coach of the Year, the first such award in her career at UAlbany.  Thomson guided the Great Danes to a 10-6 overall record in 2021, including 7-2 in-conference, while securing the two-seed in this year's America East Tournament.  The team will make its 13th-straight postseason appearance, and earns its 11th top-two seed during that span.  2021 marked Thomson's first victory over a ranked opponent in her career as UAlbany head coach, with the Great Danes defeating #20 Hofstra at home by a score of 18-7.
 
Next: UAlbany hosts Brown on February 20.