ALBANY, N.Y. - The #20 UAlbany field hockey team begins the 2024 campaign in Ohio.
 
In their first game of the season, the Great Danes will face #14 Ohio State on Friday before going against Ohio in a neutral game on Sunday.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
#20 UAlbany at #14 Ohio State
DATE: Friday, August 30
TIME: 4:00 PM
SITE: Buckeye Varsity Field - Columbus, Ohio
RECORDS: UAlbany 0-0, 0-0 America East; Ohio State 0-0, 0-0 Big Ten
SERIES RECORD: 4-2, Ohio State leads
STREAM: B1G+
STATS: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
 
#20 UAlbany vs Ohio
DATE: Sunday, September 1
TIME: 11:30 AM
SITE: Buckeye Varsity Field - Columbus, Ohio
RECORDS: UAlbany 0-0, 0-0 America East; Ohio 0-0, 0-0 MAC
SERIES RECORD: 2-0, Ohio leads
STREAM: Not available
STATS: StatBroadcast
 
*records as of 8.29
 
GREAT DANE REWIND

• UAlbany returns to action with a veteran team having contributed to two consecutive historic seasons - 2022 America East Tournament Champions and 2023 Co-Regular Season Champions.
• The Purple and Gold ended the regular season with 13 wins, including eight AE victories. With just one conference loss in the regular season, three of the Great Danes' five regular-season losses were to ranked opponents.
• Earning a bye with the second seed in the America East Tournament, the Great Danes broke records in an 8-1 semifinal win over Maine. 
• Current senior Alison Smisdom went on to earn her second All-America honor while Floor de Ruiter and Blanca Orsola finished their junior season with an All-Northeast Region nod.
• Ahead of the 2024 season, Smisdom, de Ruiter, and goalkeeper Lara Behn were named to the first America East Preseason All-Conference Team.
• As a team, the Great Danes were voted 20th in the NFHCA preseason poll.
• Smisdom and de Ruiter added a second preseason honor with a spot on the NFHCA Watchlist. Orsola joined her classmates on the watchlist.

 
2023 AWARDS
Conference: America East (AE); NFHCA Region: Northeast

• NFHCA Northeast Coaching Staff of the Year
• Lara Behn
  • AE Second Team All-Conference
  • AE All-Academic
• Floor de Ruiter
  • NFHCA First Team All-Region
  • AE First Team All-Conference
  • AE All-Academic
  • AE All-Championship Tournament
• Mara Küskes
  • AE All-Rookie
• Blanca Orsola
  • NFHCA Second Team All-Region
  • AE Second Team All-Conference
• Alison Smisdom
  • NFHCA First Team All-America
  • NFHCA First Team All-Region
  • AE Midfielder of the Year
  • AE First Team All-Conference
  • AE All-Academic
  • AE All-Championship Tournament
• Charlotte Triggs
  • AE All-Championship Tournament

 
ABOUT #14 OHIO STATE

• Returning 23 letterwinners, the Buckeyes were ranked 14th in the NFHCA preseason poll. 
• At the close of the 2023 campaign, Ohio State earned a 14-6 record for the most wins in 13 years. with a league record of 4-4. 
• Tallying a 4-4 league record, the Buckeyes finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten and made an appearance in the conference's semifinal.
• Ohio State returns last season's top two scorers in Makenna Webster and Brenna Bough. Webster also led the team in assists.
• Among the returning student-athletes is goalkeeper, senior Abby Danson. The goalie ended the 2023 season with a .725 save percentage and a 1.27 goals against average.

SERIES AGAINST THE BUCKEYES

• Ohio State owns the advantage in the all-time series, 4-2.
• In their most recent matchup, the current senior class were sophomores and the Buckeyes earned a shutout victory.
• In a special ceremony before the game, UAlbany's Rylee and Julianne Zunic reunited with their triple, a member of the Ohio State team, to honor their late father.
• The Great Danes' most recent win over the Buckeyes came in 2015 with a 3-1 score in Columbus. Their first win was a 4-0 shutout in 2014 at Alumni Turf.

 
ABOUT OHIO

• The Bobcats are returning to action with a veteran team and the 2023 Co-Coach of the Year.
• Earning a 4-3 conference record, Ohio entered the Mid-American Conference Tournament as the fourth seed.
• The team finished the season in the MAC semifinals against first-seeded Miami.

 
SERIES AGAINST THE BOBCATS

• UAlbany and Ohio have met on two occasions.
• With two Great Dane wins, the last meeting between the two teams was a double-overtime win at home in 2007.
• The first meeting was also an overtime win - 3-2 at Ohio in 2005.

 
AMERICA EAST CONTESTS THIS WEEK

• Friday
  • Maine at Northwestern, 12 pm
  • Merrimack at UMass Lowell, 12 pm
  • Fairfield at Bryant, 3 pm
  • Michigan State at UC Davis, 3 pm
  • UAlbany at Ohio State, 4 pm
  • Vermont at Lafayette, 6 pm
• Saturday
  • UMass vs Maine, 11 am
  • New Hampshire vs Saint Joseph's, 3 pm
• Sunday
  • UAlbany vs Ohio, 11:30 am
  • Providence at Bryant, 12 pm
  • UMass Lowell at Duke, 12 pm
  • Vermont at Rutgers, 12 pm
  • New Hampshire at UConn, 3 pm
• Monday
  • Maine at Indiana, 12 pm

 
UP NEXT
The Great Danes will return home from their Ohio trip to host Merrimack (Sept. 6) and Cornell (Sept. 8) for their first home games of 2024.
 
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