Wildcats Take Two-Game Winning Streak Into Conference Play

By: Mike Miranto, Associate A.D. For Communications

Women's Soccer | 9/15/2017 9:15:00 AM

GAME INFORMATION
Daemen Wildcats (2-1-1, 0-0-0 ECC) vs. St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans (1-1-1, 0-0-0 ECC)
Saturday, Sept. 16 | 11:00 a.m.
Sparkill, N.Y. | Spartan Field

GAME LINKS
Live Stats
Live Video on the ECC Network

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 73-72-7 record. 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. Dolan recently sat down for a video interview previewing his team's 2017 campaign.

WILDCATS PICKED 8TH IN ECC PRESEASON POLL
Following a vote of the league's head coaches, Daemen has been picked to finish eighth in the East Coast Conference this season. The Wildcats went 4-10-2 overall and 1-6-1 in league play last season. Bridgeport, which has won the last two ECC and East Region championships, was picked as the favorite to win the league again this year, and the Purple Knights open the season ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II preseason poll.

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. The Wildcats posted a 2-2-1 record in games that she scored in.

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 36 of the 37 games she's appeared in during her career. She's joined by classmate Monique Green who doubled 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 18 starts and 36 appearances in her career. And up front, the Wildcats retain the services of seniors Alex Juliano and Kalyn Compeau. Juliano has six goals and 14 points in 49 career games, while Compeau has totaled 14 goals and 33 points over 44 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. Hailing from Canada, freshman Sam D'Agostino has been impressive in preseason camp and is expected to see a healthy dose of playing time at the center back position. In the midfield, local product Sam Hanes and Celia de Pablo Esteban from Spain have established themselves as potential key contributors, as has sophomore transfer Sarah Kenny, a native of Australia. At forward, expect freshman Kayla Neumann to get some time playing alongside Jamie Boyar.

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.

GOING STREAKING
Daemen enters East Coast Conference play as winners of two-straight after downing Lake Erie (2-1, OT) and Tiffin (2-0) in successive contests to close the team's season-opening four-game homestand last weekend. Freshman midfielder Celia de Pablo Esteban scored on a free kick in thr 68th minute to snap a scoreless tie in Friday's win over Lake Erie. After the Storm knotted things up with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, sophomore forward Jamie Boyar scored on a penalty kick in the 96th minute to deliver Daemen's first victory of the season. Against Tiffin, Boyar scored both goals and totaled seven shots (5 SOG) in the win. Freshman Katelin White recorded 11 saves in the victory.

CONFERENCE RECOGNITION & HERO OF THE WEEK
Daemen players accounted for two-thirds of the East Coast Conference's weekly accolades for Sept. 4-10 with Katelin White earning ECC Defensive Player of the Week honors, and Jamie Boyar earning ECC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Both played key roles in leading Daemen to a 2-0 record for the week. White, who enters this weekend's contests ranked in the top three among ECC leaders in total saves (27), save percentage (.931) and goals-against average (0.53), totaled 16 saves in the two wins, including 11 in the team's 2-0 shutout of Tiffin. It was the first clean sheet of White's collegiate career, and 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. Boyar, a one-time ECC Rookie of the Week honoree last season, scored three of the Wildcats' four goals in the two games, including the game-winners in both. 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. She became the third Daemen player to earn ECC Offensive Player of the Week honors, and the first since Samantha Engel did so in the final week of the 2013 regular season. For her career, Boyar has totaled nine goals and 22 points in 20 games played. In addition to the weekly accolades from the league, Boyar was nominated for the Herosports.com NCAA Division II Hero of the Week award which recognizes the top individual performance from teams across the country. Voting for the Hero of the Week award runs through Friday afternoon.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS SCOUTING REPORT
St. Thomas Aquinas is led by veteran head coach Graham Brown who is approaching 20 total years with the school, including the last three as its head women's soccer coach. Brown's squad returns 16 players from its 2016 roster, half of whom made at least 10 starts. STAC posted a 3-13 overall record, and an 0-8 league record last season. Picked ninth in the ECC preseason poll, STAC enters league play on a nine-game conference losing streak; their last league win was a 3-2 final at NYIT on Oct. 28, 2015. Senior forward Nicole Rivera headlines the Spartans' returning players after posting team-highs in goals (9), assists (4), points (22), shots (43) and shots on goal (24) in 2016, although she has yet to play in a game this season. Junior goalkeeper Courtney Dumain, who started all 16 contests last season, also returns. STAC picked up a 4-3 win in overtime in their season-opener vs. Post back on Aug. 31, and have gone 0-1-1 since. The Spartans are coming off a 0-0 (2OT) tie against Felician on Sept. 7. Dumain went the distance and made six saves while recording her first shutout of the season. Newcomer Mekenzi Moreau, a freshman midfielder, leads the team with three goals and six points thus far.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. St. Thomas Aquinas: 3-1-1
Streak: Won 2
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, St. Thomas Aquinas 1 | Sept. 18, 2016 | Amherst, N.Y.

UP NEXT
Daemen returns to non-conference action for the team's second-straight road game Tuesday, Sept. 19 at Clarion.

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Players Mentioned

#23 Jamie Boyar: F; 5' 2"; Sophomore

#9 Sarah Britton: M; 5' 6"; Redshirt Junior

#5 Kalyn Compeau: F/M; 5' 6"; Senior

#22 Monique Green: D; 5' 8"; Junior

#32 Alex Juliano: F; 5' 2"; Senior

#7 Alex Valenti: D; 5' 4"; Junior

#10 Sarah Kenny: M; 5' 6"; Sophomore

#17 Celia de Pablo Esteban: M; 5' 6"; Freshman

#20 Sam Hanes: M/F; 5' 2"; Freshman

#16 Kayla Neumann: M/F; 5' 6"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#23 Jamie Boyar
: 5' 2"; Sophomore
: F

#9 Sarah Britton
: 5' 6"; Redshirt Junior
: M

#5 Kalyn Compeau
: 5' 6"; Senior
: F/M

#22 Monique Green
: 5' 8"; Junior
: D

#32 Alex Juliano
: 5' 2"; Senior
: F

#7 Alex Valenti
: 5' 4"; Junior
: D

#10 Sarah Kenny
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: M

#17 Celia de Pablo Esteban
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: M

#20 Sam Hanes
: 5' 2"; Freshman
: M/F

#16 Kayla Neumann
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: M/F