THE LEAD: The Daemen College men's soccer team opens the 2015 season with two non-conference games this holiday weekend…the Wildcats will play at Slippery Rock University Saturday (Sept. 5), before hosting the University of Pitt.-Johnstown in their home-opener Monday (Sept. 7) at Dimp Wagner Stadium.
Satuday, Sept. 5 (at Slippery Rock, Pa.)
Daemen vs. Slippery Rock, 3:30 p.m.
DC ROSTER / SRU ROSTER / LIVE STATS
Monday, Sept. 7 (at Dimp Wagner Stadium, Amherst, N.Y.)
Pitt-Johnstown vs. Daemen, 12 p.m.
DC ROSTER / UPJ ROSTER / LIVE STATS
THE COACH: Dan Dolan enters his first season as head men's soccer coach at Daemen…a familiar face to Daemen athletics, Dolan has served as head women's soccer coach at Daemen for the past six seasons…he will continue as head coach of the women's soccer program…the 2011 American Mideast Conference (AMC) Coach of the Year, Dolan guided the Daemen women 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.
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 WILDCATS: Daemen returns 14 players from last year's team that finished 5-10-0 overall and 2-8-0 in the competitive East Coast Conference…Daemen was voted 11th in the ECC preseason poll…first-year head coach Dan Dolan returns the top two scorers from last year, but has a huge hole to fill at goaltender following the graduation of four-year starter Matt Daddario…junior Cole Beale is back after notching a team-high five goals and 11 points last year…junior Alex Reid has ranked second on the team in scoring in each of the past two seasons and has totaled 23 points (9 gls, 5 asts) over his career…seniors Robert Ralyea and Kenny May return to anchor the backline, while sophomore Aleksandar Veljovski and freshman Justin Figler will compete for time between the pipes.
THE ROCK: Slippery Rock is a long-time member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)…The Rock are ranked ninth in the PSAC preseason poll…SRU returns 15 players and seven starters from last year's team that posted a 11-7-0 overall record and a 7-4-0 mark in the PSAC…second-year head coach Andy Hoggarth must overcome the graduation of all-conference performers Stephen Donnelly (13 gls, 33 pts) and Dom Francis (7 gls, 15 pts), but welcomes back All-PSAC forward Peter Boylan (7 gls, 15 pts)…junior Steven Rerick returns between the pipes after starting 16 games last year and posting a 1.90 GAA with three shutouts.
THE MOUNTAIN CATS: Pitt.-Johnstown is also a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)…UPJ joined the PSAC in the summer of 2013 after seven seasons in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference…the Mountain Cats are ranked 12th in the PSAC preseason poll…veteran head coach Eric Kinsey returns seven starters from last year's team that finished 1-16-0 overall and 0-11-0 in the PSAC…the Mountain Cats registered just 15 goals in 17 games last year and the team's top three leading scorers did not return…senior forward Matt Kinney (2 gls, 0 asts) and sophomore midfielder Erik Etter (0 gls, 3 asts) return up front…sophomore goaltender Nate Kleya returns after starting 12 games as a freshman and posting a 3.74 GAA.
THE HISTORY: Daemen and Slippery Rock squared off for the first time ever last fall and The Rock posted a 2-1 victory at Dimp Wagner Stadium…Dom Francis broke a 1-1 tie with just 8:17 left in regulation time…Stephen Donnelly gave SRU a 1-0 lead just 6:45 into the game, but Daemen answered just 2:54 later with a goal by Cole Beale…Daemen and UPJ have met each of the last two seasons and the Wildcats have posted a 2-0 victory in each of the games…Alex Reid scored twice during a 2-0 win at Dimp Wagner Stadium in 2013, while Caleb Holmes and Robert Ralyea scored in a 2-0 win at UPJ last year.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Wildcats return to action next weekend when they host Northeast-10 Conference members Stonehill College (Sept. 11) and The College of Saint Rose (Sept. 12) in non-conference action…click HERE for the complete 2015 schedule.
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS: Follow Daemen College athletics on Twitter (@DaemenAthletics / @DaemenMSOC) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/daemencollegeathletics) to get live game updates and breaking news throughout the year.
