Shyla Montgomery is excited to play Northeastern because it is close to home, allowing her family the opportunity to come watch her play, ualbanysports.com reported.
The Great Danes open the 2026-27 season on the road at Northeastern before hosting Manhattan for their first contest in Broadview. That initial trip kicks off a grueling 17-game non-conference slate designed to test the roster long before America East play tips off.
Following the inaugural America East-Metro Challenge, UAlbany welcomes Cornell, Union, and St. Bonaventure to campus. The schedule also demands heavy-hitting road trips to face national contenders like Ole Miss, Rutgers, South Carolina, and UMass.
For players stepping onto elite floors, the challenge is the entire point. Emma Zuccon embraces the upcoming trip to Columbia with clear anticipation for the matchup.
“[I’m excited to play in South Carolina’s] amazing arena,” Zuccon said, pointing to the chance to test herself against elite competition. “[I’m excited to play] against one of the best teams in the country … to compete against such amazing athletes.”
Traveling to UMass Lowell Before the New Year
Conference play arrives in a hurry, tipping off on December 31 with a New Year’s Eve road matchup against UMass Lowell.
The Great Danes enter the conference calendar carrying high expectations from league coaches, who voted the program first in the America East preseason poll. Standing in their path are familiar challengers, led by reigning conference champion Vermont.
Junior Kohen Marshall views the target on the program’s back as a natural byproduct of ambition. The goal remains fixed on the top spot, which requires running through the conference’s best.
“The goal is always to be at the top so naturally you want to compete against the best,” Marshall said.
For newcomers on the roster, watching a title-winning program up close provides an immediate benchmark. Freshmen like Jenava Egan look forward to measuring the team’s progress against the reigning standard set by the Catamounts.
“I’m excited to play [Vermont] because they won the America East Championship last year,” Egan said. “I can’t wait to see what a championship winning team looks like.”
