Niagara Gazette

Jamie Boyar comes to Daemen after netting 57 goals during her career just down Main Street at Williamsville South High School

Women's Soccer 7/25/2016 9:36:00 AM

Dolan Announces 2016 Women's Soccer Recruiting Class

Veteran Head Coach Adds Six Greenhorns To Roster

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College Head Women's Soccer Coach Dan Dolan formally announced his 2016 recruiting class today, bringing six student-athletes into the program which is looking to climb the ranks of the East Coast Conference after finishing with a team-record four ECC victories last season.

Three local products are among the signees while Dolan also branched out to nab commitments from neighboring Section V of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, as well as an international student-athlete crossing the bridge from Canada. Coming into the fold is Kalyn Compeau (Tonawanda, N.Y./Medaille College), Jamie Boyar (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South), Lindsay Ciaramella (St. George, Ont./Paris District), Lizzie Battaglia (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park), Skyler Matthews (Naples, N.Y./Naples) and Jenny Yuhnke (Wyoming, N.Y./Pavilion Central). All are freshmen this fall, with the exception of Compeau who enters her junior season after competing at Division III Medaille College since 2014.

"I'm very pleased with the six commitments we received this year," said Dolan who enters his eighth season at the helm having led the Wildcats to a 67-61-4 record in his tenure. "We really feel like the recruiting class we've brought in will compliment the returning players very well, and they'll help us fill some holes that we had last year and improve our depth. I'm excited to get the ball rolling here in a few weeks."

The most seasoned of the incoming players is unquestionably Compeau who appeared in 28 games while making 27 starts in the last two seasons for Medaille. A 5-foot-6 forward/midfielder, Compeau led the Mavericks in goals (8) and total points (19) last season. Prior to attending Medaille, Compeau starred for the Tonawanda Warriors and coach Julie Johnson as a four-time all-league selection within Division IV of the Erie County Interscholastic Conference (ECIC).

Joining Compeau up front is Boyar, a 5-foot-2 forward/midfielder who earned first-team All-ECIC Division II and second-team All-Western New York honors following her senior campaign last fall. A four-year letter-winner, Boyar helped the Williamsville South Billies and coach Kevin McNamara to a pair of Section VI championships while totaling 57 goals and 28 assists in her career.

The Compeau-Boyar duo figures to help a Wildcat offense which ranked sixth in the ECC with 27 goals last season.

Hailing from St. George, Ontario, a small town 23 miles west of Hamilton, 5-foot-2 midfielder Ciaramella comes to Daemen after earning four varsity letter for the Paris District Panthers and coach Danny Hawkins. She was selected as the team's most valuable player following her senior season last fall.

Dolan sees big upside in Battaglia, a 5-foot-9 defender who earned three varsity letters for the Orchard Park Quakers and coach Mike Graffeo. A National Honor Society inductee, Battaglia served as co-captain of the Quakers in 2015, and helped the team achieve N.Y. State Scholar-Athlete status each year of her career.

Matthews is a 5-foot-7 defender/midfielder who is expected to compete for a starting position. A five-year letter-winner for the Naples Green Machine and coach Frank Gleichauf, Matthews earned first-team all-league honors within the Finger Lakes West League after her junior and senior seasons. Last fall, she helped the Green Machine advance to the Section V Class D-1 championship game.

Last but not least is Yuhnke, a 5-foot-5 defender. With four varsity letters under belt stemming from her career with the Pavilion Central Gophers and coach Nicole Wittmeyer, Yuhnke was a three-time all-league selection within the Livingston County League. An all-around athlete, Yuhnke also lettered in basketball and track and field in high school.

The six newbies join a Wildcat squad which is coming off a 2015 season that saw them come on late, winning four of their final six games to finish at 7-10-1 overall and 4-5 in ECC games. In addition to the new athletes coming in, Dolan's team returns six of their top seven point producers from last season, including Stephanie Zurales (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South) and Alexis Koral (Williamsville, N.Y./William Smith College) who combined for 11 goals, seven assists and 29 points. Also back is starting goalkeeper Meaghan O'Leary (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) who made 87 saves in her rookie campaign and defensive stalwart Rose Carboni (Endicott, N.Y./Union Endicott) who earned third-team All-ECC honors last season.

Pre-season training camp for the Wildcats gets underway on August 15, and the team's full 2016 schedule was announced late last week.

For continuing coverage and breaking news surrounding the Daemen women's soccer team follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenWSOC on Twitter.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Rose Carboni: D; 5' 5"; Junior

#18 Alexis Koral: M; 5' 5"; Redshirt Senior

#1 Meaghan O'Leary: GK; 5' 6"; Sophomore

#3 Stephanie Zurales: F; 5' 4"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#10 Rose Carboni
: 5' 5"; Junior
: D

#18 Alexis Koral
: 5' 5"; Redshirt Senior
: M

#1 Meaghan O'Leary
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: GK

#3 Stephanie Zurales
: 5' 4"; Junior
: F