THE LEAD: The Daemen College women's soccer team hits the road this weekend for non-league games against Washington Adventist University (Sept. 19) and Lincoln University (Sept. 20).
Saturday, Sept. 19 (at Takoma Park, Md.)
Daemen vs. Washington Adventist, 8 p.m.
DC ROSTER / WAU ROSTER
Sunday, Sept. 20 (at Lincoln University, Pa.)
Daemen vs. Lincoln, 12 p.m.
DC ROSTER / LU ROSTER / VIDEO
DIVISION II DEBUT: Daemen successfully completed a three-year membership process and was approved for active membership status at the NCAA Division II level by the NCAA Membership Committee his past summer…Daemen was accepted as a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC) in July of 2012 and began playing full regular-season conference schedules in the fall of 2013…the 2015-16 academic year will mark the first year Daemen will be eligible for ECC and NCAA post-season play.
THE COACH: Dan Dolan enters his seventh season as head women's soccer coach at Daemen…the 2011 American Mideast Conference (AMC) Coach of the Year, Dolan enters the 2015 season with a career record of 60-51-3 (.539)…Dolan guided the Wildcats to the 2012 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national championship and a runner-up showing at the USCAA Championship Tournament in 2013 and 2014.
THE WILDCATS (0-4-1): Daemen returns 11 players from last year's team that finished 6-14-1 overall and 0-8-1 in the competitive East Coast Conference…the Wildcats advanced to the championship game of the USCAA Tournament for the third-straight year, but a 2-0 loss to top-seeded Maine-Fort Kent denied Daemen the USCAA national championship…Daemen was voted 10th in the 2015 ECC preseason poll…sophomore forwards Alex Juliano and Stephanie Zurales return up front, while sophomore Alexis Ruggiero returns in the midfield after earning honorable mention All-ECC honors as a rookie last year…senior Meghan Lipinoga and sophomore Rose Carboni will anchor the backline…Daemen opened the 2015 season with losses to Slippery Rock (7-1), Le Moyne (2-1) and Lake Erie (3-1), before battling Walsh University to a scoreless tie last weekend…the Wildcats are coming off a 3-1 loss at Mansfield this past Wednesday…Zurales scored in the loss to SRU and also netted DC's lone goal against Mansfield…Carboni scored in the loss to Le Moyne, while junior Alexis Koral scored in the loss to LEC…freshman Meaghan O'Leary (2.87 GAA) has gone the distance in net in all five games…she made eight saves in the loss to Le Moyne and stopped six shots en route to her first career shutout in the OT tie with Walsh.
THE SHOCK (0-3-1): Washington Adventist is a Division II member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)…the Shock are also affiliated with the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) and the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA)…WAU posted a 3-8-0 record last fall…head coach Alex Sandoval welcomes back junior forward Karis Powell who tied for the team lead in goals (3) and points (7) last year…the Shock opened the 2015 season with three-straight losses to Penn State-Mont Alto (1-0), St. Thomas Aquinas (6-0) and Marymount (4-1), before battling Christendom College to a 2-2 (2 OT) draw this past Monday…junior Denise Gatcham and freshman Jhenifer Portillo scored in the 2-2 tie with Christendom…freshman Laura Perez (3.25 GAA) has started all four games in net and made 10 saves in the loss to Marymount.
THE LIONS (0-5-0): Lincoln is a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)…the conference does not sponsor men's or women's soccer at this time…LU posted a 5-8-1 record last fall…head coach Evan Camperell must overcome the loss of the leading scorer from last year, but welcomes back junior forward Christian Harris who ranked second on the team in goals (5) and points (12) last year…the Lions have opened the 2015 season with five-straight losses to Bloomfield (3-2), Chowan (5-0), Chestnut Hill (4-2), St. Thomas Aquinas 4-3 OT) and Georgian Court (7-0)…Harris scored twice in the loss to Chestnut Hill and has totaled a team-high four goals and eight points…freshman Kaylee Dennis (4.50 GAA) has started all five games in net…she made 17 saves in the loss to Chestnut Hill and stopped 14 shots in the loss to GCU.
THE HISTORY: Saturday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Daemen and WAU…Sunday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Daemen and Lincoln.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Wildcats open East Coast Conference play with games at Mercy College (Sept. 25) and St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sept. 27) next weekend……click HERE for the complete 2015 schedule.
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS: Follow Daemen College women's soccer on Twitter (@DaemenAthletics / @DaemenWSOC) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/daemencollegeathletics) to get live game updates and breaking news throughout the year.
