Daemen University Athletics

AMHERST, N.Y. - After 84 minutes of scoreless action, a late tally by Queens College was the difference as the visiting Knights downed the Daemen College women's soccer team, 1-0, in East Coast Conference action today at Dimp Wagner Stadium.

QC got on the board when Adriana Mendrinos sent a corner kick to the far post where it was one-touched to the back of the goal by Bridget Gleason at the 84:08 mark.  For Gleason, it was her third tally of the season, and it came on QC's sixth corner kick opportunity of the second half, and its ninth of the game.

That was all the offense the Knights would need to pick up their first win since September 19.  Queens, who was picked seventh in the ECC preseason poll, had been winless (0-2-2) in its last four outings, and improves to 4-4-2 overall, and 2-2-1 in the league with today's outcome.

With the loss, Daemen falls to 3-8-1 overall, and 1-3-0 in ECC play.  The result today marked Daemen's second-straight one-goal setback, both of which have come in league play.  The Wildcats fell 2-1 in double overtime in their last outing before today, a road contest at Roberts Wesleyan College last Friday night (October 2).

Daemen was sparked in the first half today by the home return of sophomore forward Alex Juliano (Hamburg, N.Y./Nardin).  Juliano, who returned to lineup for the game at RWC last week after missing eight games with an injury, saw her first home action since the Wildcats' 2015 home opener versus Le Moyne College on September 7.  Juliano subbed into the game today at the 15:33 mark and her presence helped Daemen generate several scoring opportunities in the first half.

The Wildcats narrowly missed a chance to get on the board when a corner kick from Alexis Koral (Williamsville, N.Y./William Smith College) found the foot of Sarah Britton (Syracuse, N.Y./East Syracuse-Minoa) in the middle of the box, but Britton's one-timer was just a tad too high and it rang off the crossbar.  The ball caromed back into the fray and a header from Juliano sailed just wide.

Shortly thereafter, sophomore Stephanie Zurales (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South) broke loose up the right side and sent a high-arching shot that made it over the head of QC goalkeeper Kimberly Chacko who had come off her perch.  The ball appeared headed for the back of the net when a QC defender came virtually out of nowhere to head the ball over the crossbar and out of bounds, thwarting another quality scoring chance for the Wildcats.

Daemen generated another chance late in the half with a second header from Juliano, but Chacko turned it away at the 39:50 mark to keep the game scoreless.

Queens took control early in the second half, generating three corner kick opportunities in the first six minutes of the period.  But, the Daemen defense was up to the challenge.

Daemen caught a break later in the period when Queens' Haley Gibbons was sent off after being issued a red card at the 74:55 mark, forcing the guests to play a man down for the remainder of the game.

After Gleason put the Knights on top, Daemen would get just one more shot off the foot of Kelly DuVall (Addison, N.Y./Addison), but it sailed wide at the 84:57 mark.

Chacko needed to make just one save to pick up the win between the pipes as Daemen managed to place just two of its nine total shot attempts on frame.  The other was credited as a team save on Zurales' near goal.

Meaghan O'Leary (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) was the hard-luck loser in goal for Daemen, making three saves to keep Daemen in it.

Daemen will regroup quickly with Molloy College slated to be entertained at Dimp Wagner Stadium tomorrow, October 11 in a 3 p.m. start.