By Trevor Dugan | September 12, 2022
Photo Credit: Brent Warzocha (UAlbany Athletics)
The University at Albany men's soccer team defeated visiting Penn 1-0 Friday night, earning their first win of the year against the out of conference opponent.
Albany shutout opponents six times in 2021, and the win against Penn marked their first shutout of the new season. The Great Danes appear to once again be a defensive minded ball club. It was also goalkeeper Daniel Shannon’s first collegiate victory in goal, as well as his first shutout.
Penn put the pressure on early, taking five corner kicks and two shots in the first nine minutes of the match, but the Albany defense did their job and did not allow a goal or penalty kick.
In the 20th minute, UAlbany drew a PK and sent Domenic Baumann to shoot. He converted and scored his first goal as a Great Dane. Albany is now three for three on penalty kicks this season. All three of their goals in 2022 have been penalty kicks.
One goal was all they needed, but Penn threw everything they had at the Albany defense. Penn was constantly pressuring and dominated the ball, ending the night with 61% of possession. They outshot Albany 8-2 in the first half, but turned it up to another level in the second.
A ferocious attack by the Penn offense in the second half saw them take 13 shots and 10 corner kicks, while UAlbany shot just twice. Despite the constant scoring chances for Penn, the UAlbany defense proved impenetrable. It was a truly impressive display by the Great Danes as it seemed like Penn had the ball for nearly all of the final 30 minutes, yet never scored.
Head Coach Trevor Gorman was happy with the performance postgame.
“Very happy to get our first win tonight. The guys fought hard against a talented Penn team that pushed us to the limit,” Gorman said. “Being forced to play at a high level and tempo is important for our group as they continue to grow together. We know the games will continue to be of this caliber and look forward to that challenge."
Penn ended up outshooting Albany 21-4 and dominating possession, but defense won the day, and the Great Danes improved to 1-3-1 on the year. They travel to New Jersey this week to face Rutgers on Tuesday, Sept. 13.