THE BASICS:

RESULT: #2 Albany 2, #1 Hartford 1
RECORDS: Hartford (11-4-4); Albany (11-5-1)
LOCATION: Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium (West Hartford, Conn.)

THE LEAD: The University at Albany struck twice during the final 8:05 of regulation on Sunday afternoon to defeat the University of Hartford women's soccer team by a 2-1 final on Al-Marzook Field in the title match of the America East Championships. Junior Aaliyah Ingram provided the top-seeded Hawks with an early lead with her eighth goal of the year just five minutes in, but Allison Carhart and Kelly Kempf propelled the second-seeded Great Danes to the come-from-behind victory with scores in the 82nd and 88th minutes.  Concluding the campaign with an 11-4-4 overall record, the Hawks, who came up short in the championship game for the second-straight season, have recorded double-digit wins in each of their last five seasons.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

·         Just five minutes into the game, Ingram lofted a shot from 25 yards out over Albany keeper Alana Olivieri on the right side to provide the Hawks with the early 1-0 edge.

·         Despite the field tilting in favor of Albany in the second half, the visiting team never truly threatened and was unable to reach the back of the net for the equalizer until the 81:55 mark. Carhart provided the heroics that sparked the offense, as her kick from deep inside of the six-yard box out of a corner kick from Caitlyn Paltsios bounced into the net.

·         At the 87:43 mark, Kempf completed the comeback bid for the Great Danes. In a scramble in front of the box out of a corner kick, she connected for a shot and reached the back of the net for her second goal of the season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

·         Hartford held a 5-1 advantage in shots during the first half, but in the second, the field tilted in favor of Albany as it held a commanding 10-1 edge.

·         Overall, the Great Danes outshot the Hawks, 13-6.

·         The Great Danes also finished with a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks, including a 5-1 edge in the second half.

·         Olivieri, the Great Danes' goalkeeper, was not forced into action during the match to improve to 5-1-0 on the season.

·         Jurg collected four saves in the losing effort..

NEWS & NOTES:

·         Concluding the 2015 campaign with an 11-4-4 mark, the Hawks have posted double-digit wins in each of the last five seasons.

·         Juniors Aaliyah Ingram and Caitlin Smallfield joined freshman Hayley Nolan on the America East's All-Championship Team while junior Katie Connolly was named to the conference's Elite 18 Team.

·         Prior to Sunday's setback, the Hawks had lost just once since the all-time series with Albany began back in 2001. The only other loss came in the semifinals of the America East Championship at Al-Marzook Field in 2011.

·         Hartford has advanced to the America East Championship's title match three times in the last four years (2012, 2014, 2015).

·         With her team's lone goal, Ingram closed out her junior campaign with a career- and team-best 20 points on a team-high eight goals and four assists.

·         Head coach John Natale holds a career record of 103-85-39 at the conclusion of his 12th season at Hartford. He is currently tied with former head coach Austin Daniels as the program's winningest coach.

·         The Hawks' senior members (Emma Donnelly, Elise Galipo, Kylie Hoang, Kristen McAdams, Erica Primovic and Sidney Spremullo) finished their career with a pair of America East regular season championships behind a combined 45-16-14 record over the last four years.