“We’re really happy to have our first conference win under our belts,” said acting head coach Andy Thornton. “This is a tough and much-improved Vermont team; they did a great job of forcing us into some bad plays. We need to work on our execution for Sunday against New Hampshire.”
The sophomore class got the Danes going in the early moments of the game, as Kelsey Briddell and
Anna Bottino fired wide for the first two shots. Earning the first penalty corner 10 minutes in, Heuser had her first shot of the game blocked.
With a reset and another corner, Megan Ma again inserted in the direction of Laura Page. The senior deflected a pass to Heuser, who went back and forth with Bottino. Heuser put a shot into the upper-left for a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute.
Momentum in hand, the Danes pushed the pace up front. Camryn Dias entered the game to register two shots on goal in the next five minutes. Liza Morgan hit the crossbar on a rocket from Bottino, but the score remained 1-0.
On Vermont’s only penalty corner of the half, the Catamounts tied the game up with less than four minutes to play in the opening stanza.
As the first 35 minutes came to a close, two Vermont players were assessed yellow cards. Two players up in the field, UAlbany had one shot on goal from Bottino come up short.
Under the direction of Thornton, the Purple & Gold recorded a 12-1 shot advantage in the first half.
The Danes came out on a tear to start the second half, putting nine unanswered shots in the box score. Rachel Billig, Bottino, Briddell and Morgan all had chances to put UAlbany up with the Catamounts shorthanded on five-minute penalties.
On the same give-and-go that produced the first penalty corner goal for the Danes, Heuser crushed another shot for a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute. Bottino and Page once again picked up assists.
Vermont did not give up once back to full strength on the pitch. The Catamounts found their way through the midfield, but two timely defensive saves by Jaclyn Hibbs kept UAlbany ahead 2-1 with 15 minutes left to play.
The Purple & Gold finally found the cushion it was looking for in the 67th minute. Heuser drove the right end line, and sent a pass to the far post for Morgan. The 3-1 result would stand for UAlbany’s first conference victory.
Heuser now has 12 goals and four assists on the season. She has 142 career points and 58 career goals to date.
Maxi Primus picked up her 42nd career win with five saves. She is four victories away from becoming the all-time winningest goalkeeper in UAlbany program history.
The Danes (8-1, 1-0 AE) host New Hampshire (4-5) on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
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