Men's Soccer 9/28/2018 12:00:00 PM By Jake Carlson, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant

Men's Soccer Looks to Stay Undefeated in Conference Against NYIT

GAME INFORMATION
Game #9
Daemen Wildcats (4-4, 2-0 ECC) vs. NYIT Bears (5-2-1, 1-0-1 ECC)
Saturday, Sept. 29 | 11:00 a.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Karrer Field

Live Stats
LIve Video

FREE KICK
Daemen returns to East Coast Conference play on Saturday with regionally-ranked N.Y. Institute of Technology visiting Karrer Field. The Wildcats, who have won three of their last five matches, are off to 2-0 start in league play for the first time in team history. Daemen and NYIT are the only ECC teams to not suffer a loss in league play yet this season. A win Saturday would be Daemen's first in seven all-time meetings with the Bears, and it would vault the Wildcats to the top of the league standings.

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 season. He has missed the last two 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 .705 save percentage. Schmidt left the Wildcats' last outing with an injury, and his status for this weekend is up in the air. 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 has the Wildcats 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 BLOOMSBURG
The Wildcats traveled to Bloomsburg University on Wednesday for a mid-week game that ended in a loss for Daemen. The loss moved them to 4-4 on the season while remaining 2-0 in the conference. Joe Keem scored the first goal of his career in the loss.

NYIT SCOUTING REPORT
NYIT is led by Carlos Delcid who is in his 17th season as the team's head coach. During his tenure, Delcid has led the Bears to six NCAA Tournament appearances and one Elite Eight finish. Despite losing eight seniors to graduation, including All-ECC honorees Carlos Coto and Alejandro del Cura, as well as experienced goalkeeper Jonathan Rico (59 career games played), the Bears have opened the season with a 5-2-1 overall record and a 1-0-1 league mark. The fast start has led the Bears to a No. 9 ranking in the latest United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II East Region poll. The Bears, who were picked fourth in the ECC preseason poll, own a 3-2 victory over preseason league favorite District of Columbia. NYIT is coming off a 2-0 loss at Goldey-Beacom earlier this week. NYIT has produced 19 goals this season, and they rank third in the league by averaging 2.68 goals per game. Graduate student Bernd Schluter has been the main cog offensively as he ranks second among all ECC players in both goals (8) and points (17). Senior forward/midfielder Simon-Peter Omooba has also produced (4 gls, 9 pts). In goal, junior Andrew Pereira has seen the bulk of the action, and he presently leads the league with 39 saves.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. NYIT
Series Record: 0-6
Streak: Loss 6
Last Meeting: NYIT 5, Daemen 1 | Sept. 30, 2017 | Old Westbury, N.Y.

UP NEXT
Daemen will travel downstate to take on regionally-ranked Mercy College on October 3 at 3 p.m.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#6 Joe Keem: D; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#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

#6 Joe Keem
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: D

#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