Box Score
AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's soccer team dropped a 3-1 decision to visiting Queens College in the East Coast Conference (ECC) opener for both teams on a brisk and wet day at Dimp Wagner Stadium this afternoon.  Queens improved to 4-2-0 (1-0-0 ECC) on the season while Daemen (3-2-0, 0-1-0 ECC) suffered its second defeat of the season in its first-ever ECC game.

Rebecca LaPorte put Queens on the board in the eighth minute of the contest.  She took a pass from Lorena Russi and sent a low, hard shot past Daemen goalkeeper Kathryn Haessner (Moravia, N.Y./Moravia) from the right wing, sneaking it just inside the far post.

Less than a minute later, LaPorte returned the favor when she found Russi on a throw-in into the box.  Russi hit a shot that beat Haessner, giving the Knights a quick 2-0 lead.  For Russi, it was already her fifth goal of the season.

Daemen cut the deficit to one when senior Samantha Engel (Dryden, N.Y./Dryden) took a through ball from classmate Kacey Bougard (East Aurora, N.Y./Sacred Heart) and beat QC goalkeeper Mersina Onesto with a low shot from the left wing that snuck inside the far post, making the score 2-1 in the 66th minute.

The Wildcats best chance to knot the score came in the 72nd minute when Engel took a free kick from just outside the box on the right wing and found an open Meghan Lipinoga (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Canisius College) at 10 yards out, but Lipinoga's shot sailed high.

QC's Kristina Gabrielsen put the knife in the coffin when she split a couple Daemen defenders and scored on a breakaway in the 87th minute, putting to rest any hopes of a Daemen comeback.  The assist went to LaPorte on the play, as she flicked the ball with her head on to the streaking Gabrielsen, completing a four-point afternoon for LaPorte (1 goal, 2 assists).

"We got a quick lesson on how physical this conference is going to be," said head coach Dan Dolan.  "We were not ready for their physical play and it showed.  I was proud of how we adapted and got better as the game went on.  We need to be more consistent with our effort and execution as the season moves along against tougher competitors."

The physicality that Dolan alluded to was evident on the scoresheet with 23 fouls whistled in the match, and two yellow cards issued - both to Daemen.

Onesto picked up the win in goal for Queens to move to 4-2 on the season, needing just one save to do so.  Haessner made two saves for Daemen but fell to 3-2 with the loss.

The game today marked the first time Daemen has allowed more than one goal since a 3-1 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas College on Oct. 21, 2012 - a span of some nine games.  The Wildcats entered today's game having allowed just one goal while earning three shutouts in the team's first four games of the season.  The loss also snapped Daemen's three-game home winning streak.

Daemen gets an opportunity to breakthrough in conference play tomorrow when it hosts Molloy College in an 11 a.m. contest at Dimp Wagner Stadium.