Women's Soccer 10/2/2018 12:15:00 PM By Jake Carlson, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant

Women's Soccer Set To Battle Nationally-Ranked Mercy

GAME INFORMATION & LINKS
Game #10
Daemen Wildcats (5-4, 3-1 ECC) vs. Mercy Mavericks (7-1, 3-0 ECC)
Wednesday, Oct. 3 | 12:00 p.m.
Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. | Mercy Field

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FREE KICK
Daemen puts their three-game East Coast Conference winning streak on the line when traveling to nationally-ranked Mercy College for a matchup that features the first and second place teams in the league standings. The Wildcats have put together some heart-pounding efforts of late, rallying from 2-0 deficits to defeat Molloy and Roberts Wesleyan in recent weeks. Daemen followed those games up with a 2-1 win against NYIT in which Katja Meyer scored the go-ahead goal with 39 seconds left in regulation. The Mavericks are the lone undefeated team in ECC play so far this season, and the Mavericks were the top-ranked team in last week's East Region poll, while also being ranks sixth in the country.

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 80-78-7 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 four games and Flores has started five, and together they have posted a 2.09 goals against average and a .683 save percentage. White registered the team's lone shutout this season, a 2-0 win over Shepherd on Sept. 12 which marked the fourth shutout of her career. Flores was named the ECC Defensive Player of the Week for Sept. 24-30 when she recorded a season-high eight saves in the 2-1 win against regionally-ranked NYIT.

VETERAN PRESENCE
Nine of Daemen's 11 starters from 2017 all return to the lineup with more experience. Leading the back line is seniors Monique Green and Alex Valenti who have combined for 100 games played and 88 games started in their careers. Sophomore Sam D'Agostino will look to capitalize on her freshman campaign after starting 15 games in the back. The trio of Green, Valenti and D'Agostino played a large role in helping Daemen rank sixth in the league in goals against average last season.

FRESHMAN CLASS
Daemen features five freshman this year who look to contribute significant minutes. Elise Williams is a calm and composed midfielder who quarterbacks the field when she is on. She is a smooth player with good vision and can provide defensive help for the back line. Grace Stranahan and Kate Sidoti will both look to get into the attacking side with good dribbling and vision on the ball. Their poise on the ball will be key on the pitch to help pilot the midfield. Kayleigh Daniels is an added forward for the Wildcats this season who has the pace and agility to create scoring chances. Madeline Emmi is an outside back with good awareness and speed of play, who can help on the attack while also being a stout defender. With the addition of these five freshmen, the Wildcats will look to be a deeper team this season.

BEND IT LIKE BOYAR
Jamie Boyar is entering her third year with the Wildcats at the forward position. Boyar is currently leading the ECC in both goals (10) and points (21), and ranks seventh and 13th among the national leaders in both categories. She has scored the game-winning goal in four games for the Wildcats this year, ranking fourth in the country, and bringing her career total to 11. Two of the game-winners were of the extra dramatic fashion as she netted overtime goals vs. Molloy and Roberts Wesleyan; the goal against Molloy was her third of the game, marking her first career hat trick. With her 10th goal of the season in Daemen's 2-1 win over NYIT, Boyar became just the second player in team history to record at least 10 goals in consecutive seasons, joining Daemen Hall of Famer Kim Walker who did so over three straight seasons from 2003-05. She presently ranks among Daemen's all-time career leaders in goals (27 - 4th) and points (62 - 5th). The Wildcats have posted a 14-5-1 record over the last three seasons when Boyar scores at least one goal.

PASS HAPPY
Celia de Pablo Esteban has been a leader at her central attacking midfield position. Hailing from Spain, de Pablo Esteban is a pass happy midfielder that currently has six assists, a total which leads the ECC and ranks ninth nationally. She had a total of three assists last season, already surpassing her total from 2017. She is also 12th in assists per game with 0.67 average. De Pablo Esteban's assists have come from four different players, with only two going to Jamie Boyar. With Boyar and de Pablo Esteban, among the other impressive players, the Wildcats are second in the ECC in goals (19), first in assists (15) and first in points (53).

WILDCATS WIN A STUNNER AGAINST NYIT
The Wildcats are coming off a thrilling 2-1 win in which sophomore forward Katja Meyer recorded the go-ahead goal with just 39 seconds left in the second half. After leading 1-0 and NYIT equalizing, the Wildcats scored in the last-minute of the game to propel them over the regionally ranked NYIT Bears and move them into second place in the ECC.

MERCY SCOUTING REPORT
Mercy is a fellow member of the ECC who are coached by Jim O'Brien in his first season. Mercy has started off the season 7-1, outscoring its opponents 16-5 on the season. The Mavericks lost five seniors from its 18-4-1, 7-1 season in 2017. The Mavericks had six players named to all-conference teams last season with four of them returning. Freshman forward Anicia Reyes is leading the Mavericks in goals (5) in her first season on campus. Reyes was named ECC Rookie of the Week this past weel; it was her second selection of the season. Sophomore goalkeeper Melissa Torres leads Mercy from the back posting league-best numbers in every statistical category at the keeper position. The Mavericks rank first in goals allowed at five, posting the best defense in the league.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MERCY
Series Record: 0-5
Streak: Lost 5
Last Meeting: Mercy 3, Daemen 2 | Oct. 7, 2017 | Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

UP NEXT
Daemen will travel to Connecticut to take on regionally-ranked Bridgeport on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 12 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

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

#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

#19 Sam D'Agostino: D; 5' 3"; Freshman

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

#26 Madeline Emmi: D; 5' 4"; Freshman

#2 Kayleigh Daniels: F; 5' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

#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

#19 Sam D'Agostino
: 5' 3"; Freshman
: D

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

#26 Madeline Emmi
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: D

#2 Kayleigh Daniels
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: F