Women's Soccer 10/19/2018 2:00:00 PM By Jake Carlson, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant

Postseason Fate Hangs In The Balance As Wildcats Visit LIU Post

GAME INFORMATION
Game #15
Daemen Wildcats (7-6-1, 5-3 ECC) vs. LIU Post Pioneers (9-2-3, 5-1-2 ECC)
Saturday, Oct. 20 | 12:00 p.m.
Brookville, N.Y. | Pioneer Soccer Park

LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO

FREE KICK
Daemen travels east to face the LIU Post Pioneers, a team that is ranked fifth in both the United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll and the official Division II East Region rankings. The Wildcats enter the game with a slim one-point lead on NYIT for fourth place in the ECC standings. Daemen is coming off a 9-1 throttling of ECC newcomer Lincoln earlier this week, a victory that has propelled them to the brink of capturing the program's first-ever ECC Tournament berth. LIU Post, which has been ranked as high as 16th in the country this season, is unbeaten (7-0-3) in their last 10 games.

PLAYOFF PICTURE
The Wildcats have made a push to capture their first-ever ECC Tournament berth this season. At 5-3 in league play, the Wildcats have their most ECC victories since joining the league back in 2013. The Wildcats hold a slim one-point lead over NYIT for fourth place in the ECC standings, and the top four teams at the end of the conference season will earn tournament berths. A win over LIU Post on Saturday would clinch a berth for the Wildcats. A loss or tie Saturday doesn't eliminate the Wildcats; they could still qualify but would need NYIT to either lose or tie in their Saturday game vs. Mercy.

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 87-84-8 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, appearing in six, and Flores has started nine, and together they have posted a 1.95 goals against average and a .725 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 seven of the last eight games, and has posted two 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 1.48 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 62 games and made 51 starts in her career. Valenti has appeared in 64 of a possible 65 games in her career, starting in all but one. There's also redshirt senior midfielder Sarah Britton who has totaled four goals, seven assists and 15 points over 63 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 currently leads the ECC and ranks second in the country with 18 goals in goals, one shy of Daemen's single season record set by Kim Walker back in 2005. She also leads the league and ranks fourth nationally with 39 points. Boyar has netted the game-winning goal in five of Daemen's seven wins 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. Boyar then scored five goals in a 9-1 win against Lincoln, the most tallies of any player in the country during a single game this season. Daemen is 7-2 this season, and 16-5-1 since 2016 when Boyar scores at least one goal. For her career, she's started all 47 games in the last three seasons, and has totaled 35 goals, 10 assists and 80 points. She ranks third in goals and 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 is tied for first nationally with 13 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. Nine 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 31 games that the team has played, and she's posted seven goals, 16 assists and 30 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.

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
Daemen's nine-goal outburst against Lincoln marked the most goals they've scored since a 9-0 win over Fisher on Oct. 28, 2012.

LIU POST SCOUTING REPORT
The perennial powerhouse LIU Pioneers are back again for their final season in the ECC before moving up to the Division I level. The Pioneers are coached by Mark Dawson who has amassed a 150-41-26 record over his 11-year tenure. Dawson has led the Pioneers to seven NCAA Tournament appearances and won the conference championship twice. The Pioneers were picked second in the ECC preseason poll as they return 17 players from their 2017 team that went 17-4-1 overall and 7-1 in league play. Junior forward Julia Duffy, a United Soccer Coaches All-East Region selection last season, has eight goals this season, ranking fourth in the conference. Senior goalkeeper Hillevia Eklow also returns after being named 2017 ECC Goalkeeper of the Year last season. Eklow is currently second in the ECC in goals against average (0.89) and total goals allowed (12). The Pioneers are currently second in the ECC in goal differential at +22. Redshirt junior midfielder and defender Alice Schonfeldt and junior defender Paige Sherlock have combined for nine assists this season. The Pioneers come in ranked fifth in both the United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll and the official Division II East Region rankings. LIU Post started the season ranked No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Preseason Poll.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. LIU POST
Series Record: 0-5
Streak: Loss 5
Last Meeting: #8 LIU Post 3, Daemen 1 | Sept. 23, 2017 | Amherst, N.Y.

UP NEXT
Daemen plays its final regular season contest on Saturday, Oct. 27 when they visit non-conference foe Chestnut Hill. If they qualify for the ECC Tournament, the Wildcats would play a semifinal round game on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at a yet to be determined site.

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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