Men's Soccer 10/2/2018 12:40:00 PM By Jake Carlson, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant

Men's Soccer Travels To Face Nationally-Ranked Mercy

GAME INFORMATION & LINKS
Game #10
Daemen Wildcats (4-5, 2-1 ECC) vs. Mercy Mavericks (5-1-1, 2-1 ECC)
Wednesday, Oct. 3 | 3:00 p.m.
Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. | Mercy Field

Live Stats
LIve Video

FREE KICK
Daemen plays its second consecutive East Coast Conference game on Wednesday when they travel to Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. to take on Mercy College. The Wildcats, who have lost two straight games, suffered their first ECC loss of the season to visiting NYIT on Saturday. Mercy and Daemen are both tied with a 2-1 record in the conference through three games apiece. Mercy is ranked third in latest United Soccer Coach East Region poll, and 25th in the national poll.

BACK IN THE SADDLE
Head coach Bobby McColl returns for his third season on the Daemen sidelines in 2018, and his seventh overall as a collegiate head coach. McColl heads into the 2018 season with a career coaching record of 54-52-8 with previous stops as the head men's coach at Greenville College (2012) and the head women's coach at Roberts Wesleyan College (2013-15). In 2017, he led Daemen to records of 7-11 (overall) and 3-6 (ECC). The team's overall win total matched the program record for wins in a season.

ECC PRESEASON POLL
Following a vote of the league's head coaches, Daemen has been picked to finish 9th in the East Coast Conference this season. The Wildcats went 7-11 overall and 3-6 in league play last season. The University of the District of Columbia was picked to finish first edging out last year's champions LIU Post by five votes.

SUPER SWEDE
Sophomore midfielder Niklas Ringdahl Bohlin is once again producing offensively for the Wildcats. The Fjaras, Sweden native recorded the first multi-goal game of his career in Daemen's 3-2 win over Gannon on Sept. 10. He also registered an assist on Noah Keem's game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over Molloy on Sept. 15. Ringdahl Bohlin, who earned team MVP honors as a freshman in 2017, has totaled six goals, seven assists and 19 points in 26 career games. He's started 25 of the team's 26 contests since the start of the 2017 season.

ROCHESTER'S FINEST
Sophomore midfielder Anthony Cupello is one of five players with two goals this season. He netted Daemen's lone goal in a 1-0 shutout victory over Malone on Sept. 1, and later scored in a 3-1 loss at Lock Haven on Sept. 18. Cupello, who finished fourth in the ECC last season with nine assists, has appeared in and started all 26 contests since the start of the 2017 season. In that time, he's totaled three goals, 10 assists and 16 points.

UP TOP
Sophomores Noah Keem and Finn Krueger have combined to give the Wildcats a scoring punch in the attacking third. Keem, who became Daemen's first-ever All-East Coast Conference honoree last season, scored both goals in the Wildcats' 2-1 victory over Molloy on Sept. 15. Two of the three multi-goal games in Keem's career have come against Molloy. Keem has totaled 11 goals, four assists and 26 points over the last two seasons. He has missed the last three games with an injury. Krueger netted two goals during Daemen's 3-2 overtime loss at Le Moyne on Sept. 8, marking the first multi-goal game of his career. Krueger has totaled seven goals, four assists and 18 points in 24 career games played.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Freshman defender Giacomo Bacigalupo has made an immediate impact in his first collegiate season. The Lavagna, Italy native leads the team with six points on two goals and a pair of assists so far this season. He registered the first goal of his collegiate career during Daemen's 3-2 win over Gannon on Sept. 10. Bacigalupo went on to tally Daemen's lone goal in a 1-0 shutout victory over longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan on Sept. 22.

BETWEEN THE PIPES
Freshman goalkeeper Phillip Schmidt has started all eight games for the Wildcats thus far, posting two shutouts and a .673 save percentage. Sophomore Jarrett Lecceadone and freshman Eithan Hahn have also seen action in goal this season. Lecceadone is the team's most experienced goalkeeper after appearing in nine games and making five starts in 2017.

THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Daemen's 1-0 win over Roberts Wesleyan on Sept. 22 started the Wildcats off at 2-0 in East Coast Conference play. This is the first time the Wildcats have ever started out 2-0 in conference play in the team's history.

WILDCATS FALL TO NYIT
The Wildcats hosted regionally-ranked NYIT at Karrer Field this past Saturday, which resulted in a 3-1 loss and the first ECC loss of the season. The loss moved them to 4-5 on the season while dropping to 2-1 in the conference. Senior midfielder Zackery Elliott scored his first career goal in the loss.

MERCY SCOUTING REPORT
Mercy is led by Pedro Velazquez who is in his 3rd season as the team's head coach. In his three years, Velazquez has led the Mavericks to a 27-10-4 record and an ECC Tournament berth last season. Despite losing nine seniors to graduation, including six All-ECC honorees, the Mavericks have opened the season with a 5-1-1 overall record and a 2-1 league mark. The fast start has led the Mavericks to a No. 5 ranking in the latest United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II East Region poll. Mercy is coming off a 2-1 win at Queens College this past Saturday. Mercy has produced 14 goals this season with five coming from junior forward Ignacio Mangada, who ranks fourth in the ECC in goals. The main source of the Mavericks winning ways comes from its defense, only allowing six goals on the season. Sophomore Jordan Williams has 21 saves on the season and ranks second in the ECC in goals against average (0.82).

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MERCY
Series Record: 0-5
Streak: Lost 5
Last Meeting: Mercy 1, Daemen 0 | Oct. 7, 2017 | Amherst, N.Y.

UP NEXT
Daemen will travel to Connecticut to take on Bridgeport for its second ECC road-game in a row on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 3 p.m.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#18 Zackery Elliott: M; 5' 9"; Junior

#16 Anthony Cupello: M; 5' 8"; Freshman

#7 Noah Keem: F/D; 6' 0"; Freshman

#11 Finn Krueger: M; 6' 1"; Freshman

#23 Niklas Ringdahl Bohlin: M; 6' 0"; Freshman

#30 Jarrett Lecceadone: GK; 6' 3"; Freshman

#22 Giacomo Bacigalupo: D; 5' 9"; Freshman

#35 Eithan Hahn: GK; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#18 Zackery Elliott
: 5' 9"; Junior
: M

#16 Anthony Cupello
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: M

#7 Noah Keem
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: F/D

#11 Finn Krueger
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: M

#23 Niklas Ringdahl Bohlin
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: M

#30 Jarrett Lecceadone
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: GK

#22 Giacomo Bacigalupo
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: D

#35 Eithan Hahn
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: GK