Aikens helped out the Hawks with one of the team’s assists. Charlie Kahn | The Informer
The University of Hartford Women’s soccer team opened conference play on Sunday in Albany, New York against the University of Albany Great Danes.
The Hawks were picked by the league coaches to win the America East championship this year, edging out last year’s champion Stony Brook, and so far this season they have a record of 5-2-3.
The game got off to a fast start as about five minutes in, Great Danes freshman midfielder, Caitlyn Paltsios, scored the team’s first and only goal. Hawks keeper Jessica Jurg made three stops and the score remained 1-0 going into halftime. She would go on to finish the game having allowed one goal and recording one save. Danes keeper, Jackie Ubert, allowed three goals, all of which occurred in the second half, and recorded three saves on the game.
The Hawks picked it up in the second half though, scoring three goals in under twenty minutes. Hartford senior Natasha Douglas scored two goals, on two attempts, in the game including the game tying and winning goals.
Sophomore Sidney Spremullo scored her second goal of the season in the 79 minute to give the Hawks some insurance.
The Hawks got a total of four assists over the course of the game. Caitlin Smallfield sent the ball over the Danes defense where Douglas managed to get possession and shoot the ball into the goal.
The second assist came from Emma Donnelly. Douglas managed to work her way behind the Danes defense when Donnelly passed her the ball, which she managed to get past Ubert for a goal.
The third and fourth assists came from Arielle Aikens and Elise Galipo. Forward Raelynn Mikell passed the ball up to Aikens who passed the ball into the box where Galipo was able to head it, passing it to Spremullo at the far post for the goal.
The Hawks outshot the Great Danes 17-10 with the Danes only managing two shots on the goal in the second half. Neither shot gave Jurg, much trouble.
The final score was 3-1 in favor of the Hawks who improve their record to 6-2-3 on the season. The Great Danes left the game with a 1-9 record with their only win coming in the season opener against Florida Atlantic.
Since 2001, the Hawks have played the Great Danes a total of 13 times resulting in a record of 10 wins, one loss, and two draws. However, after initially going 9-0 against them, the Hawks hit a bit of a rough patch in which they went 0-1-2 against them. Their only loss against them came in the 2011 America East semi-finals. They broke the winless streak last year after winning a game against the Great Danes two to nothing.
The Hawks will play their next three games at home, the first of which will be against the Maine Black Bears which will take place Thursday, Oct. 3.