Women's Soccer 9/28/2018 12:30:00 PM By Jake Carlson, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant

Women's Soccer Hosts Regionally-Ranked NYIT This Weekend

GAME INFORMATION & LINKS
Game #9
Daemen Wildcats (4-4, 2-1 ECC) vs. NYIT Bears (6-2, 2-0 ECC)
Saturday, Sept. 29 | 1:30 p.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Karrer Field

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FREE KICK
Daemen puts their two-game East Coast Conference winning streak on the line when hosting regionally-ranked N.Y. Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon. 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. NYIT comes in averaging 2.38 goals per game, second-best in the league to date. The Bears are one of two unbeaten teams in league play and have won four consecutive contests overall.

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. Both have started four games this season, and together they have posted a 2.22 goals against average and a .657 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.

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 98 games played and 86 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.

BOYAR MAGIC
Jamie Boyar is entering her third year with the Wildcats at the forward position. Boyar is currently leading the ECC in goals (9) and points (19). She currently has the game-winning goal in all four games the Wildcats have won this year. That number is second best in the country at the Division II level. That makes her career total up to 11, having seven during the 2017 season. Boyar also currently ranks third in Division II with her nine goals and 11th in goals per game.

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 five assists to lead the ECC. She had a total of three assists last season, already surpassing her total from 2017. De Pablo Esteban currently ranks 11th in Division two with her five assists, with the top two being tied at seven. She is also 20th in assists per game with 0.63 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 third in the ECC in goals (17), second in assists (13) and third in points (47).

WILDCATS COMEBACK AT ROBERTS WESLEYAN
The Wildcats are coming off a thrilling 3-2 overtime win in which Jamie Boyar had her fourth game-winning goal of the season. After being down 2-0, the Wildcats rattled off three goals to move them to 4-4 on the season and 2-1 in the ECC.

NYIT SCOUTING REPORT
NYIT is a fellow member of the ECC who are coached by Karim Diallo in his first season. NYIT has started off the season 6-2, outscoring its opponents 19-7 on the season. The Bears lost six seniors from its 9-7, 4-4 season in 2017. Dina Simonian departs NYIT after being voted to NSCAA Third Team All-Northeast Region, D2CCA Second-Team All-East Region and Second-Team All-ECC. Simonian now serves as an assistant coach for the Bears. Sophomore forward Casey Luongo returns for her sophomore campaign after scoring 11 goals and being voted to All-ECC Second Team in 2017. Luongo and senior fullback Jess Hawley lead the team in goals with four. Also returning is senior goalkeeper Jesse Sabal who was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week. Luongo was named ECC Offensive Player of the Week while freshman midfielder Maggie Thibault was named ECC Rookie of the Week. The Bears swept in weekly ECC awards. NYIT was picked to finish fifth in the ECC Preseason Poll, and are ranked ninth in the latest United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II East Region poll.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. NYIT
Series Record: 2-4
Streak: Lost 2
Last Meeting: NYIT 4, Daemen 2 | Sept. 30, 2017 | Old Westbury, N.Y.

UP NEXT
Daemen will travel downstate to face nationally-ranked Mercy College next Wednesday, Oct. 3 for a game 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

#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

#25 Grace Stranahan: M; 5' 3"; 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

#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

#25 Grace Stranahan
: 5' 3"; Freshman
: M