Women's Soccer 9/22/2017 8:30:00 AM Mike Miranto, Associate A.D. For Communications

Women's Soccer Goes For 5th Straight Win Saturday

GAME INFORMATION
Daemen Wildcats (4-1-1, 1-0-0 ECC) vs. #12 LIU Post Pioneers (5-1, 0-0 ECC)
Saturday, Sept. 23 | 11:00 a.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Karrer Field

GAME LINKS
Live Stats

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 75-72-7 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.

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 39 of the 40 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 20 starts and 39 appearances in her career. And up front, the Wildcats retain the services of seniors Alex Juliano and Kalyn Compeau. Juliano has six goals and 15 points in 52 career games, while Compeau has totaled 14 goals and 33 points over 45 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 six games this season. Midfielder Sam Hanes, and defenders Kayla Goeddertz and Sam D'Agostino have started all six games thus far. Hanes scored the lone goal in Daemen's 1-1 (2OT) tie with St. Michael's in the team's 2017 season opener on Sept. 1. Goeddertz earned her first career assist in Daemen's 2-1 (OT) win at St. Thomas Aquinas on Sept. 16. Freshman goalkeepers Katelin White and Maddie Flores have also contributed, helping Daemen rank third in the league in goals-against average (0.77).

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. Through the team's first six games, McDonnel has made three appearances off the bench.

GROUNDING GOLDEN EAGLES
Daemen is coming off a 1-0 (2OT) non-conference win at Clarion earlier this week. Sophomore forward Jamie Boyar scored on a header off a crossing feed from senior Alex Juliano in the 104th minute of the contest to deliver Daemen's fourth-straight victory. The host Golden Eagles, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, came into the game as winners in two their previous three games and having already eclipsed their 2016 season win total. The "golden goal" from Boyar was her team-leading fourth of the season, and her second overtime game-winner. Freshman goalkeeper Maddie Flores made the first start of her career; she went the distance and made six saves to record the clean sheet in what was coach Dan Dolan's 75th career victory.

GOING STREAKING
Daemen enters Saturday's game vs. LIU Post having won four-straight contests. It's the Wildcats' longest winning streak since a seven-game streak that encompassed the final five games of the 2012 season and the first two of 2013. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 7-2 in the current streak, and goalkeepers Katelin White and Maddie Flores have combined to make 31 saves on 33 shots on goal, good for a .939 save percentage.

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.

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.

SHUTTING THE DOOR
Freshman goalkeeper Katelin White has been impressive thus far in her rookie season. 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. White presently ranks in the top three among ECC leaders in total saves (36), save percentage (.923), total goals allowed (3) and goals-against average (0.62).

LIU POST SCOUTING REPORT
LIU Post is off to a 5-1 start in 2017. The Pioneers return 15 players from their 2016 roster, including nine who started at least 10 games. Veteran head coach Mark Dawson, now in his 11th season with the program, guided the Pioneers to a 15-4-2 record and their third-straight NCAA Tournament berth last season. Headlining the Pioneers' returners is junior forward Andrea Huntzinger who led the team in goals (7) and points (19) en route to second-team All-ECC honors last season. Junior goalkeeper Hillevi Eklow, also a second-team All-ECC selection in 2016, returns after posting a league-best 11 shutouts. Fellow second-team All-ECC honorees Sarah McGarry and Kristen Breihof also return. The Pioneers were picked second in the ECC preseason poll, and they are presently ranked 12th in the latest United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II national poll. After opening the season by outscoring their opponents 17-1 in four-straight victories, the Pioneers tasted defeat for the first time on Sept. 16, falling 2-0 at Merrimack. The team returned to its winning ways just two days later, downing Stonehill 3-1 for its fifth non-league win of the season. Huntzinger continues to lead the way offensively as she's posted team-highs of five goals and 11 points. Four additional players - freshman Erin O'Connor, sophomores Julia Duffy and Gabrielle Clark, and redshirt sophomore Alice Schonfeldt - have all scored three times apiece. Eklow has been the only Pioneer net-minder to see action so far this season. She owns a 0.67 goals-against average and a .879 save percentage, both of which rank third in the league. LIU Post leads the league in total goals scored (20) and goals scored per game (3.33), as well as in fewest goals allowed (4) and goals-against average (0.67).

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. LIU Post: 0-4
Streak: Lost 4
Last Meeting: LIU Post 1, Daemen 0 | Oct. 16, 2016 | Amherst, N.Y.

UP NEXT
Daemen closes a brief two-game homestand by hosting Goldey-Beacom for a non-conference contest Tuesday, Sept. 26 with first kick slated for 12 p.m.

Print Friendly Version

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

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

#35 Maddie Flores: GK; 5' 8"; 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

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

#35 Maddie Flores
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: GK

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

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