GAME INFORMATION
Daemen Wildcats (8-7-1) vs. Shepherd Rams (5-5-7)
Monday, Oct. 30 |  12 p.m.
Shepherdstown, W.V.  |  SU Soccer Complex

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OH DANNY BOY
Head coach Dan Dolan returns for his ninth season on the Daemen sidelines in 2017. Since taking the reins of the program in 2009, Dolan has guided the Wildcats to a 79-78-7 record, and is the program's all-time leader in wins. The high water mark of Dolan's tenure came in 2011 when the Wildcats went 15-4 overall and 11-1 in their final season as an affiliate of the now-defunct American Mideast Conference (AMC), with Dolan earning AMC Coach of the Year honors. He went on to lead the program to three-straight appearances in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national championship game during the team's transition to NCAA Division II, winning the title in 2012.

BEND IT LIKE BOYAR
Daemen returns its top five point producers from last season, headlined by sophomore striker Jamie Boyar who totaled six goals, four assists and 16 points as a true freshman in 2016. In doing so, she became the first Daemen freshman to lead the team in goals and points since Alicia Vasiloff in 2008, and her point total was the most for a Daemen freshman since Kim Obermeier posted 21 points in 2012. She also led the team in shots (38) and shots on goal (19), and was one of only three players to start all 16 games.

VETERAN PRESENCE
Daemen's roster features five players who have played in more than 30 games in their respective careers. On defense, junior Alex Valenti has started 49 of the 50 games she's appeared in during her career. She's joined by classmate Monique Green who has been a constant in the Wildcats' starting lineup after doubling her starts, from seven as a freshman to 14 last season. In the midfield, redshirt junior Sarah Britton is coming off her finest season as she tallied three goals and seven points in 2016. Britton has made 24 starts and 49 appearances in her career. And up front, the Wildcats retain the services of seniors Alex Juliano and Kalyn Compeau. Juliano has eight goals and 21 points in 62 career games, while Compeau has totaled 14 goals and 33 points over 50 career games, including the two seasons she played for Medaille.

FRESH FACES
The Wildcats welcome 21 newcomers to the roster in 2017, including 17 freshmen. Ten freshman have made at least one start through the Wildcats' first 16 games this season. Midfielders Sam Hanes and Celia de Pablo Esteban, and defender Kayla Goeddertz have started all 16 games thus far. Hanes ranks third on the team with two goals this season. Spanish native de Pablo Esteban ranks second on the team in both goals (4) and points (10). Goeddertz earned her first career assist in Daemen's 2-1 (OT) win at St. Thomas Aquinas on Sept. 16. Freshmen goalkeepers Katelin White and Maddie Flores have also contributed, helping Daemen lead the league in total saves (105) while also posting a 1.57 goals-against average.

MAKING A MOVE
One of the new additions to the roster should be a familiar name for Daemen fans as Leah McDonell transitions to soccer from the women's basketball team. McDonell completed her four years of basketball eligibility last winter, finishing her career with 1,005 points, 511 rebounds, 258 assists and 150 steals. She was a second-team All-ECC performer last winter, and she joins a list that includes former hoopers Lindsay Stoddard and Joanna Daugenti as players who have competed in both soccer and basketball for the Wildcats. McDonell has appeared in seven games off the bench this season. She tallied her first career goal in a 2-1 win over Goldey-Beacom on Sept. 19.

DRAMA QUEENS
Daemen is a cool 3-0-1 in overtime games this season, and have posted three consecutive victories in such contests. Sophomore forward Jamie Boyar cashed in a penalty kick opportunity that was generated by freshman forward Kayla Neumann in the first overtime period of Daemen's 2-1 victory over Lake Erie on Sept. 8. Just eight days later, in the Wildcats' East Coast Conference opener, freshman forward Kaylyn Phillips entered the game at the 96:59 mark, and less than a minute later she delivered the "golden goal" in Daemen's 2-1 defeat of St. Thomas Aquinas. On Sept. 19, Boyar struck again with a header goal in the 104th minute to beat Clarion, becoming the first Daemen player with two overtime game-winners in the same season since Samantha Engel in 2011. Daemen holds a seven-game unbeaten streak (5-0-2) in overtime games dating back to the 2015 season. The Wildcats are also 5-2 this season in games decided by one goal.

I CAN BE YOUR HERO
Sophomore forward Jamie Boyar was voted the Herosports.com Division II Hero of the Week after scoring three of the Wildcats' four goals in non-league wins over Lake Erie (2-1, OT, Sept. 8) and Tiffin (2-0, Sept. 10). She scored her first career "golden goal" against Lake Erie, burying a penalty kick opportunity in the first overtime period. She went on to register the second multi-goal game of her career in the win over Tiffin. Hero of the Week nominations were announced on Tuesday, Sept. 12 with an online voting platform which ran through Friday, Sept. 15. Boyar gathered 755 total votes, accounting for 54.99 percent of the total vote. It was the second weekly accolade for Boyar who also earned ECC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

DYNAMIC DUO
Freshman goalkeepers Katelin White and Maddie Flores have both been impressive in their rookie seasons. White earned ECC Defensive Player of the Week honors for Sept. 4-10 after totaling 16 saves in wins over Lake Erie (2-1, OT, Sept. 8) and Tiffin (2-0, Sept. 10). White turned aside 11 Tiffin shot attempts en route to her first career shutout, the most saves by a Daemen goalkeeper in a shutout since Kathryn Haessner made nine in a 2-0 defeat of Maine-Fort Kent on Sept. 7, 2013. She went on to add ECC Rookie of the Week honors for Sept. 11-17 after making nine saves in Daemen's 2-1 (OT) victory at St. Thomas Aquinas on Sept. 16, helping Daemen to a 1-0 start in conference play for the first time since joining the ECC in 2013. Not the be outdone, Flores earned ECC Rookie of the Week honors for Sept. 18-24. In her first career start, Flores went the distance, playing over 103 minutes and making six saves in Daemen's 1-0 shutout of Clarion on Sept. 19. And, Flores was named the ECC Defensive Player of the Week and nominated for the Herosports.com Division II Hero of the Week for Sept. 25-Oct. 1 after making 11 saves in Daemen's 2-1 defeat of Goldey-Beacom on Sept. 26. White came back to earn ECC Rookie of the Week honors for Oct. 9-15 after making nine saves and recording her third shutout in Daemen's 2-0 victory over Bridgeport on Oct. 14. Together, White and Flores have a collective save percentage of .802 this season as they've combined to make a league-best 105 total saves. Daemen's 1.57 goals-against average presently ranks sixth in the ECC.

A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER
Going 5-3-1 in the month of September, Daemen got off to its best start since 2011 when the team posted six September victories en route to a 15-4 campaign.

BOYAR FOR THE WIN
Sophomore forward Jamie Boyar leads Daemen in goals (11) and points (25) this season, ranking fourth among the ECC leaders in both categories. Among Boyar's goal total is seven game-winning goals, tied for best in the ECC, and the most for a Daemen player since Samantha Engel notched six in 2011. She's the first Daemen player to reach the 10-goal and 20-point plateaus since Engel (11 gls, 30 pts) and Kacey Bougard (13 gls, 33 pts) both did so in 2013.  Over the last two seasons, Boyar has started all 32 contests that Daemen has played while racking up 17 goals, seven assists and 41 points. Daemen is 7-1 this season and 9-3-1 in her career when she scores.

SIGNATURE WIN
Daemen scored a 2-0 win over perennial powerhouse Bridgeport on Oct. 14. It was Daemen's first win the all-time series with the Purple Knights, a team that started the season ranked No. 7 in the country, and the preseason favorite to win a third-straight ECC title. Jamie Boyar scored both Daemen goals over a six-minute span in the second half, and Katelin White made nine saves to record her third shutout of the season. The Wildcats overcame a 21-13 disparity in total shot attempts to defeat a Bridgeport team that advanced to the "Final Four" of the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2015, and the "Elite 8" last year.

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
After suffering a disappointing 4-0 road loss at Queens on Oct. 18, the Wildcats rebounded with a 5-1 non-conference road win at Bloomfield on Oct. 21. The five-goal outburst marked Daemen's best offensive outing since a 6-0 shutout of Alfred State on Oct. 13, 2015. The Wildcats got a pair of goals from Jamie Boyar - her third multi-goal game of the season - and single tallies from Alex Valenti, Alex Juliano and Lindsay Ciaramella. Valenti's goal was the first of her career. Boyar added an assist to pick up the second five-point game of her career. Juliano also added an assist, giving her seven points this season which matches her career-high.

SHEPHERD SCOUTING REPORT
Shepherd is a member of the Mountain East Conference and is led by Jonathan Thayil, who is in his seventh season as head coach. SU posted a 7-9-1 overall record last year and a 6-9-1 mark in the MEC. Headlining the team's returners are a pair of second-team All-MEC picks in senior midfielder Taylor Harwood and senior defender Regan Stout. The Rams went 4-2-4 over their first 10 games this season, but are just 1-3-3 over their last seven. Today's game marks the regular-season finale for the Rams, who stand at 5-5-7 on the year and are coming off a 1-1 (2OT) tie with Charleston Saturday…the Rams have qualified for the MEC Championship Tournament…SU's seven ties this season are the most among all Division II schools…SU possesses a solid defense that has held 12 of its 17 opponents to one goal or less and has registered four shutouts. Senior forward Samantha Leonard has paced the offense with a team-high four goals and nine points. Additional production has come from senior defender Brianna Gorman (3 gls, 3 asts) and freshman defender Katherine Eddy (2 gls. 2 asts). Junior Christi LaBella has played every minute in goal this season and owns a 1.13 goals against average with four shutouts.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Shepherd: 1-0
Streak: Won 1
Last Meeting: Daemen 1, Shepherd 0 | Aug. 29, 2009 | Erie, Pa.