ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany men's soccer team returns home for game two of the 2024 season. The Great Danes will host LIU for a 3:30 pm game on Sunday, Aug. 25.
 
Game Info
Sunday, August 25 vs LIU
Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium in Albany, N.Y.
3:30 pm
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Int'l Stream
 
One Game, One Win
The Great Danes opened the season on the road at Niagara. Facing the Purple Eagles, UAlbany earned the one-goal victory, 3-2, in the final minutes of the contest. Pedro Lucas wasted no time to put the Great Danes on the board in the third minute of action. Niagara tied the game for an even score at halftime. UAlbany re-took the lead in the 72nd minute as Timo Jansen shot a rocket of a shot into the goal. Just a minute later, the Purple Eagles tied the score but an own goal put UAlbany back in the lead with just 1:30 left in the game. 
 
New Faces
In early August, head coach Trevor Gorman announced the addition of 12 new student-athletes to the team ahead of the 2024 season.
 
"We are excited to add these players to our UAlbany program," said Gorman. "Some joined us in January and experienced the spring semester adapting to our system and others will join us this fall. It's a talented group that covers all positions on the pitch and has a good variety of characteristics. We look forward to welcoming each of them into our Great Dane family and look forward to seeing their contributions this fall and beyond."
 
New additions to the team include:
Edis Alic: DEF – 6'1 – 175lbs. – Vaxjo, Sweden
Christos Efstatiou: DEF – 6'2 – 180lbs. – Limassol, Cyprus
Breckin Fett: DEF – 5'11 – 180lbs. – Anchorage, Alaska
Luca Grilla: MID – 6'0 – 155lbs. – Orlando, Fla.
Kenan Kanic: MID – 5'7 – 160lbs. – Glenmont, N.Y.
Max Kwitchoff: MID – 5'11 – 175lbs. – Tonawanda, N.Y.
Pedro Lucas: ATT – 6'0 – 170lbs. – Sao Paulo, Brazil
Brennan McDermott: MID – 6'1 – 170lbs. – Rochester, N.Y.
Nassim Nouajaa: DEF – 6'2 – 175lbs. – Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Jordan Shullenberger: MID – 6'1 – 170lbs. – Waterbury, Vt.
Kodai Tsuzuki: GK – 6'5 – 185lbs. – Takahama, Japan
Marcos Villanueva: MID – 6'1 – 170lbs. – San Juan, Puerto Rico
 
2024 Schedule
UAlbany is set to face five opponents coming off of 2023 NCAA Tournament appearances. Accounting for the last two seasons, seven of UAlbany's 2024 opponents have made it to the NCAA Tournament at least once and four of them have been seeded. The America East itself was rated the fifth strongest conference last season after having three teams make the tournament with two advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.
 
After beginning the season at Niagara, the team will return to campus for their first home game on Sunday (Aug. 25). UAlbany then travels to take on back-to-back Big East opponents in Seton Hall (Aug. 29) and St. John's (Sept. 1) before hosting crosstown rival, Siena, on September 5.
 
Remaining non-conference home matchups include Cornell (Sept. 14), Syracuse (Oct. 1), and Colgate (Oct. 22) while road contests include Marist (Sept. 9), Lafayette (Sept. 17), and Rhode Island (Sept. 24).
 
The team's first America East contest is slated for September 28 at UMass Lowell. They will host Vermont on October 5 for their first home conference game. Other home conference matchups include New Hampshire (Oct. 26) and Bryant (Nov. 5).
 
New Turf, Who Dis?
New turf for Bob Ford Field at Casey Stadium was installed over the summer.
 
The new playing surface features updated branding at midfield and in both end zones, replacing the original turf that had been in use since the stadium's construction in 2013. The turf project began in late June and was finished in time for soccer preseason practices. The project was completed by Sprinturf, LLC.
 
Unlike the original turf, yardage markers and numbers were not included with the updated surface. The department will utilize a painting system to install necessary markers before home contests to keep a "clean" look when switching between sports.
 
"Everyone is excited for the upcoming fall season, and especially looking forward to playing on a new surface in Casey Stadium," said head coach Gorman. "The players are ready to get to work and we hope the fans will see the benefit of the new turf reflected in the quality of the play on the field."

Stay Connected
For more information on the UAlbany men's soccer team, follow the squad's official social media accounts on X and Instagram and UAlbany Athletics on Facebook.