Women's Soccer 10/16/2018 11:00:00 AM By Jake Carlson, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant

Women's Soccer Takes On ECC Newcomer Lincoln

GAME INFORMATION
Game #14
Daemen Wildcats (6-6-1, 4-3 ECC) vs. Lincoln Lions (0-12, 0-6 ECC)
Sunday, Oct. 17 | 11:00 a.m.
Lincoln University, Pa. | Lincoln University Stadium

FREE KICK
Daemen travels to face off against East Coast Conference newcomer Lincoln for midweek matinee. The Wildcats sit in fifth place in the ECC standings to open the week, one point shy of fourth-place NYIT (8-4-1, 4-2-1 ECC). Wednesday's contest with Lincoln is a must-win for the Wildcats as they continue pushing towards the program's first ECC Tournament berth. The top four teams in the final regular season standings advance to the conference tournament. Lincoln has found tough sledding in its first season as an ECC member. The Lions have been outscored 82-7 this season, including 47-4 in league play.

OH DANNY BOY
Head coach Dan Dolan returns to the Wildcats for his tenth season in 2018. Since taking over the program in 2009, Dolan has led Daemen to an 86-84-8 record, establishing himself as the program's all-time winningest coach. After going 9-7-1 in 2017, Dolan looks to carry the momentum of that successful campaign into the 2018 season. Dolan's best season came back in 2011 when the Wildcats went 15-4 overall and 11-1 in their final season as a member of the now-defunct American Mideast Conference. 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.

ECC PRESEASON POLL
After a vote of the league's head coaches, Daemen has been picked to finish seventh in the East Coast Conference this season, up one spot up from last year's poll. The Wildcats posted a 9-7-1 overall record and a 3-5 mark in the ECC last season. Daemen finished sixth in the conference last year. Mercy was picked to finish first after going 18-4-1 overall and 7-1 in the ECC last season.

BETWEEN THE PIPES
Sophomores Maddie Flores and Katelin White have shared time between the pipes for Daemen, much the same as they did during the 2017 season. Both have experienced their share of success, combining for three ECC Rookie of the Week and two ECC Defensive Player of the Week selections last season. White has started five games and Flores has started eight, and together they have posted a 2.03 goals against average and a .713 save percentage. White registered the team's first shutout this season, a 2-0 win over Shepherd on Sept. 12 which marked the fourth shutout of her career. Flores has started six of the last seven games, and has posted back-to-back shutouts, helping the Wildcats defeat Queens (3-0 on Oct. 10) and draw with Clarion (0-0 on Oct. 14). Totaling 11 saves between the two shutouts, she lowered her goals against average for the season from 2.13 to 1.56 which ranks eighth in the conference.

VETERAN PRESENCE
The Wildcats feature three players who have appeared in more than 60 games in their careers. Senior defenders Monique Green and Alex Valenti have been fixtures on the Daemen back line in each of their four seasons. In that time, they've played an integral role in helping Daemen pitch 15 shutouts. Green was a third team All-ECC selection last season, one of only three players to earn an all-conference nod since joining the ECC back in 2013. She's appeared in 61 games and made 50 starts in her career. Valenti has appeared in 63 of a possible 64 games in her career, starting in all but one. There's also redshirt senior midfielder Sarah Britton who has totaled four goals, six assists and 14 points over 62 games in her career.

BEND IT LIKE BOYAR
Junior forward Jamie Boyar has placed herself squarely in the ECC Player of the Year conversation this season. The Williamsville native is currently second in the ECC in goals (13) and points (27), ranking eighth and 19th nationally in those respective categories. She also leads the league and ranks eighth nationally with five game-winning goals this season. Several of her game-winning tallies have been of the dramatic fashion. She scored 1:30 into the first overtime period to deliver a 3-2 win over Molloy on Sept. 15; Boyar netted all three goals in the game, marking her first career hat trick. One week later, she scored two goals including the game-winner in overtime to defeat Roberts Wesleyan 3-2. On October 10, Boyar netted all three goals in a 3-0 shutout of Queens, becoming the first Daemen player with multiple three-goal games in a season since Kacey Bougard in 2013. Daemen is 6-2 this season, and 15-5-1 since 2016 when Boyar scores at least one goal. For her career, she's started all 46 games in the last three seasons, and has totaled 30 goals, eight assists and 68 points. She ranks third in goals and fourth in points among Daemen's all-time leaders.

PASE FELIZ
Celia de Pablo Esteban has been a leader at her central attacking midfield position for the Wildcats this season. Hailing from Burgos, Spain, de Pablo Esteban leads the ECC and ranks third nationally with 10 assists this season. She's just the fourth player in team history to record at least 10 assists in a season, and the first since Janelle Masi and Lindsay Miller both did so during the 2011 season. Six of de Pablo Esteban's assists have come on goals by Jamie Boyar, including all three of Boyar's goals in a recent 3-0 win over Queens. In her career, she's appeared in and started all 30 games that the team has played, and she's posted five goals, 13 assists and 23 points.

KAT'S CALLING
Sophomore Katja Meyer has developed into another scoring option for the Wildcats this season. The Verona, N.Y. native has netted three goals while posting two assists this season. She scored the first goal and registered the first assist of her career in Daemen's season-opening 5-2 win over Bloomfield and Aug. 30. Meyer went on to score in back-to-back wins over Roberts Wesleyan and NYIT. Her goal against the regionally-ranked NYIT Bears came with just 39 seconds left of the clock, snapping a 1-1 tie to deliver Daemen's fourth win in the month of September.

ZEROED IN
The Wildcats are coming off a 0-0 (2OT) tie in a non-conference bout with Clarion this past Sunday. The Wildcats outshot the Eagles 26-10, but couldn't sneak one past CU goalkeeper Krista Mosi who notched 15 saves. The result marked Daemen's first draw since a 1-1 final in the 2017 season opener vs. St. Michael's, and their first scoreless draw since Sept. 13, 2015 vs. Walsh.

LINCOLN SCOUTING REPORT
Lincoln is in its first season as a member of the ECC, and the Lions are coached by Emmanuel Awotula. A native of Nigeria, Awotula has led the Lions to a 9-34-1 record in his three-year tenure. The Lions were picked 10th in the ECC preseason poll as they return 11 players from their 2017 team that went 6-11. Senior forward Diana Martinez, a first team All-ECAC pick last season, has scored five of the team's seven goals this season. She ranks 14th in the conference with 11 points. Junior Lena Rodriguez has seen the bulk of action between the pipes, and she leads the league and ranks fourth nationally with 113 saves. As a team, Lincoln ranks 260th out of 261 teams in goals against average (6.83).

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. LINCOLN
Series Record: 1-0
Streak: Won 1
Last Meeting: Daemen 1, Lincoln 0 | Sept. 20, 2015 | Lincoln University, Pa.

UP NEXT
Daemen closes out the ECC portion of its 2018 campaign with a road game at LIU Post that figures to have big implications on the conference tournament picture.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

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

#31 Katja Meyer: M/F; 5' 10"; Freshman

#0 Katelin White: GK; 5' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

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

#31 Katja Meyer
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: M/F

#0 Katelin White
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: GK