SCORE: #19 UAlbany 3, Drexel 1
 
LOCATION: Alumni Turf - Albany, N.Y.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 5-1, 0-0 America East | Drexel 2-3, 0-0 CAA
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes put up three goals in the first half to take a 3-1 victory over Drexel, Sunday afternoon.
 
COACH PHIL SYKES: "[Being 3-0 at home] feels fantastic. This was one of our more challenging weekends this season and to come out with two wins is more than we expected. Friday was massive; to beat Harvard at Harvard and then to turn around and beat a very good Drexel team … they are always very tough and we have not beaten either team in program history so it's nice to get those off the list and have nice momentum going into conference play."
 
KEY STATS

• For the second consecutive game, senior Alison Smisdom scored more than one goal with two scores against the Dragons.
• Freshman Lotje Ligthart added her second collegiate goal.
• Senior Floor de Ruiter assisted one goal.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• UAlbany started the game strong immediately pushing offensive action before earning a penalty corner less than three minutes into the first quarter.
• Lotje Ligthart put the Great Danes on the board in the 10th minute. Receiving a cross right in front of the Drexel goalie, Ligthart dribbled the ball further away from the net to redirect the goaltender before shooting the ball with a reverse sweep right past all of the defenders and into the net.
• Alison Smisdom added a second goal in the first quarter with less than three minutes on the clock. The midfielder stole the ball from a Dragon about 40 yards from the goal, dribbled with the ball to the circle, and took the shot as soon as she entered the circle.
• Smisdom extended the Great Danes' lead with her second goal in the second quarter. As the team earned a penalty corner with 10 seconds on the clock, Smisdom and Floor de Ruiter combined to redirect the Drexel defense and get the goal before time ran out.
• The Dragons came out of the halftime break with a fire.
• Earning a penalty corner three minutes into the third quarter, Drexel scored their first, and only, goal of the contest. Taking a rebounded shot, Pien Elsen moved the ball to get a better shot and scored the lone Dragon goal.
• With just three total shots in the second half, the two teams battled to get into their offensive circle. 
• In what proved to be a much more defensive half for the Great Danes, they allowed just one goal in the second and would not let the Dragon offense score again to take the 3-1 win.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes will prepare for a one-game week and the start of conference play as they host UC Davis for their Alzheimer Awareness game on Sunday, September 22.

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