ALBANY, N.Y. — UAlbany field hockey’s Alison Smisdom has been one of the country’s top goal getters all season. 

“Definitely a great reflection, I think of just how well our team has been doing,” said Smisdom, a senior midfielder and defender, who is currently second in the NCAA rankings with 16 goals.

The All-American from Belgium owns a lot of the success to her teammates — particularly Floor de Ruiter, one of the top assist leaders.

“I think it's just like beautiful that you can give someone else an opportunity to score. And that's how the team make the goals now,” said de Ruiter, a senior midfielder, who is currently tied for fourth in the country with nine assists. 

The connection between de Ruiter, who is from the Netherlands, and Smisdom has been there since the pair first arrived in the U.S. and stepped foot on campus.

“We both were in the same boat,” Smisdom said. “We speak the same language. So it was definitely a good connection from the start.”

“Even though we’re neighbor countries, I think the whole environment at home is similar and bringing it to America, and playing on the same team is showing off,” de Ruiter said. 

The off-field chemistry has led to a lot of success on the pitch over the last four years. Right now, UAlbany (10-2) is ranked 13th in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Coaches Poll. The Great Danes have picked up notable wins along the way over Harvard and Liberty.

“I think they can connect without talking to each other,” said Phil Sykes, UAlbany’s head coach. “They just know where each other is going to be, and they've been a vital part of our offense. And hopefully we can keep it going.”

While the goal and assist accolades are nice, their ultimate goal is to host and win the America East tournament. It’s something the two experienced as sophomores and are hoping to taste one more time together.

“I don't think I would expect anything better than this. The experience here has been amazing so far,” de Ruiter said. 

“I think that's exactly where we wanted to be this season,” Smisdom said. “I think we've been doing great and we hope we can keep it up.”

UAlbany is heading to Lehigh for another non-conference matchup on Sunday.