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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
4
Winner Mercyhurst MER-M (8-6-2)
2
Daemen DAEM (4-12-0)
Winner
Mercyhurst MER-M
(8-6-2)
4
Final
2
Daemen DAEM
(4-12-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Mercyhurst MER-M 1 3 4
Daemen DAEM 0 2 2

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

Second-Half PK's Costly In Loss To Mercyhurst

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. - In the first-ever meeting between the Daemen College and Mercyhurst University men's soccer teams, the visiting Lakers scored on two penalty kicks in less than three minutes en route to a 4-2 victory in non-conference action on a cold and blustery evening at the Williamsville South High School Stadium. 

The loss was Daemen's ninth straight as the Wildcats drop to 4-12 on the season. Mercyhurst, a team with nine consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament berths on its resume, improved to 8-6-2. The Lakers are the 10th opponent that Daemen has played this season with above a .500 record; the Wildcats entered the game with the 12th-ranked strength of schedule out of 39 teams in the NCAA Division II East Region. 

Mercyhurst got on the board first as Mario Castel scored off a feed from Alex Garcia Piles with 1:10 remaining before halftime. After a free kick opportunity, Castel carried the ball into the left side of the box and sent a curling shot through traffic to the back of the net. 

Daemen evened things up shortly into the second half as freshman Erik Matthews (Galway, N.Y.) netted the first goal of his career. Mercyhurst failed to clear the ball near the top of the box and Matthews pounced on the opening; he carried the ball a short way to his right and sent a hard, line drive shot that pegged off the right post and over the goal line at the 49:53 mark.

The Wildcats would take a 2-1 lead at the 54:01 mark when sophomore midfielder Niklas Ringdahl Bohlin (Fjaras, Sweden) scored on a free kick opportunity from approximately 25 yards out. For Ringdahl Bohlin, it was his team-leading fifth goal of the season; several of his markers have come on free kick opportunities.

Just under two minutes later, Daemen goalkeeper Jarrett Lecceadone (Randolph, N.Y.) kept the Wildcats on top when he stoned Salvatore Canzoneri on a breakaway opportunity. But, the lead would be short-lived as Castel struck again at the 58:34 mark, this time with a shot to the upper right corner of the goal from approximately 18 yards out. 

The Lakers forged ahead at the 68:55 mark when Henri Tophoven made good on a penalty kick opportunity that was awarded when a Mercyhurst player was hauled down in the box. For Tophoven, it was his team-leading sixth goal of the season. Just under three minutes later (at the 71:43 mark), Daemen was whistled for an inadvertent hand ball in the box, and MU's Michael Blancato converted the ensuing P.K. The Wildcats have now allowed five penalty kick goals in the last three games; they conceded only two such goals in the first 13 games of the season.

The Wildcats generated a pair of decent opportunities late in the game as they attempted to cut into the Mercyhurst lead. But, a hard shot from Derek Mancuso (Friendship, N.Y.) and a header by Pascal Kuhn (Emmendingen, Germany) sailed wide and high, respectively.

Mercyhurst held a 23-12 advantage in shot attempts, placing nine of those on frame. 

Martin Jarc went the distance between the pipes and picked up his eighth win of the season for the Lakers. He made a trio of saves in the contest. On the flip side, Lecceadone made his first start of the season and stopped four shots. 

The Wildcats will close out their 2018 season this Saturday, Oct. 27 when hosting regionally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas College in an East Coast Conference friendly at 1 p.m.

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