GAME INFORMATION & LINKS
Game #11
Daemen Wildcats (7-1-2, 1-1-1 ECC) vs. Queens Knights (6-5-0, 0-2-0 ECC)
Saturday, Oct. 12 | 12 p.m.
Flushing, N.Y. | Knights Field
Live Stats
Live Streaming Video (via ECC Network)
Game #12
Daemen Wildcats vs. Molloy Lions
Monday, Oct. 14 | 5 p.m.
Rockville Centre, N.Y. | RVC Sports Complex
Live Stats
Live Streaming Video (via ECC Network)
FREE KICK
Daemen returns to East Coast Conference play with a pair of road games over the long Columbus Day weekend. Every conference game is of the utmost importance from here on out as the Wildcats look to keep pace with the league leaders. The Wildcats enter the weekend in a tie with Roberts Wesleyan for fourth place in the conference standings. They're coming off a 2-1 non-conference win Wednesday at Shepherd as they bounced back from their first and only defeat of the season to defending ECC and national champion Bridgeport. The Wildcats enter the weekend ranked 13th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 3.00 goals per game.
HISTORIC START
At 7-1-2, Daemen is off to the best start in program history, and they've done so in dominating fashion. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 30-7 while recording four shutouts. They presently rank first in goal differential (+23), second in goals against average (0.67) and third in total goals and goals scored per game (3.00) among all East Coast Conference teams. The Wildcats' early season success included a shutout streak that reached 229 minutes to start the season before Le Moyne pushed one over the goal line on Sept. 11. It has also featured 7-0 wins over Urbana and Nyack, marking the first time since 2011 that they've scored at least seven goals twice in the same season. The Wildcats' five-game winning streak to start the season marked just the fourth streak of its length in the 20-year history of the program. Their 1-0 win over regionally-ranked Mercy on Sept. 28 extended their unbeaten streak to eight straight games, matching the longest such streak in program history which had been accomplished only once before, during the 2011 season. Daemen has won seven games for the third straight season. It marks the third time in program history they've achieved at least seven wins in three successive seasons.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T FIND OUT WHAT IT MEANS TO ME
For the second straight week the Wildcats are ranked in the United Soccer Coaches East Region poll. After making their first-ever appearance in the poll last week at No. 10, the Wildcats moved up one spot to No. 9 this week.
HIGH HOPES
Expectations are high for the Wildcats, as they return several key players from last year's team that posted an 8-8-1 overall record and made its first-ever appearance in the East Coast Conference Tournament after placing fourth in the final regular-season standings with a 5-4-0 league mark. The five league wins were the most for the Wildcats since joining the ECC in 2013. Daemen was picked third in the 2019 ECC preseason poll.
OH DANNY BOY
Head coach Dan Dolan returns to the Wildcats for his 11th season in 2019. Since taking over the program in 2009, Dolan has led Daemen to a 95-87-10 record, establishing himself as the program's all-time winningest coach. Last fall Dolan led the Wildcats to their first-ever appearance in the ECC Championship Tournament. He also led 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.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2019
Daemen returns 13 players from its 2018 roster, eight of whom started at least 10 games. That group is undoubtedly headlined by senior forward Jamie Boyar, a first-team All-ECC and second-team All-East Region selection last season when she tallied 43 points and a program-record 20 goals. Boyar figures to have plenty of help from fellow senior captains Lindsay Ciaramella and Sarah Kenny both of whom play integral roles in the midfield. Junior Katja Meyer also returns after posting four goals and 11 points a season ago. The Wildcats will be tasked early on with replacing the production of departed midfielder Celia de Pablo Esteban who led the ECC in assists (14) last season. Junior Sam D'Agostino will head up the backline following the graduation of defenders Monique Green and Alex Valenti. D'Agostino has started 31 of a possible 34 games over her first two seasons and earned third-team All-ECC honors last fall. Redshirt senior Erin Egan joins the team after spending the last four years as a member of the women's basketball team. Junior Maddie Flores returns after starting 12 games in goal last year and posting a 2.00 goals against average and two shutouts.
A SEASON TO REMEMBER
Jamie Boyar turned in a season to remember last fall. She scored 20 goals and registered 43 points, finishing the regular season as the ECC leader in both. She finished the year ranked eighth nationally in goals and 16th nationally in points. Her goal total established a new team record for a single season, surpassing Kim Walker's mark of 19 set in 2005. Boyar netted the game-winning goal in five of Daemen's eight wins last year. She scored five goals in a 9-1 win against Lincoln, the most tallies of any player in the country during a single game last season. Daemen was 8-2 last season when Boyar scored at least one goal.
BEND IT LIKE BOYAR
Jamie Boyar has gotten off to a fast start in 2019, recording 12 goals and 25 total points over Daemen's first 10 games. She scored in all five games of Daemen's season-opening winning streak, the longest consecutive scoring streak of her career. It included four multi-goal games as she's placed herself among the ECC and national leaders in both goals and points, and twice been named the ECC Offensive Player of the Week. She's reached several milestones, including her 40th career goal and 100th career point, with still more on the horizon. She reached the century mark for points as part of a three-goal performance vs. Nyack on Sept. 18, becoming just the third player in program history to do so. Her goal on Sept. 25 vs. Davis & Elkins pushed her career point total to 107, surpassing Samantha Engel for second in team history. She snapped a two-game goal-less drought with the game-winning tally in a 2-1 win at Shepherd on Oct. 9, and she'll enter the weekend one goal shy of 50 for her career. Daemen is now 23-5-2 when Boyar scores at least one goal, and 13-0 when she scores multiple times. She has started all 60 games since the start of the 2016 season, and stands just five goals shy of Kim Walker's program record (54) established from 2003-06. Boyar is No. 3 in career goals (49) and No. 6 in career points (109) among active Division II players.
HEY ROOKIE
Alyssa Mercado has twice been named the ECC Rookie of the Week this season as the freshman forward from California has made an immediate impact for the Wildcats. Mercado totaled two goals and two assists during the opening week of the season, helping Daemen to decisive wins over Urbana and Mansfield. She became the first Daemen freshman to score in consecutive games since Jamie Boyar did so in 2016. Mercado went on to notch the lone goal in Daemen's 1-0 win over regionally-ranked Mercy on Sept. 28. She's just the third freshman in Daemen's ECC era (2013-present) to score at least three goals in a season.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Junior Maddie Flores has made eight starts so far this season, posting a 5-1-2 record with a career-high three shutouts. She presently ranks second in saves (43), save percentage (.878) and goals against average (0.71) among the ECC leaders. She was named the ECC Defensive Player of the Week for Sept. 16-22 after making a combined 13 saves in games against Nyack and New York Tech. Flores is 14-8-3 while making 27 appearances in her career. She's one win shy of matching her career-high for a single season which she set last year.
SAYING GRACE
Sophomore midfielder Grace Stranahan has registered five goals, four assists and 14 points through the first 10 games this season, already eclipsing her goal and point totals from her freshman season when she made 14 appearances and five starts. With goals against Urbana, Mansfield and Le Moyne, she became the first Daemen player other than Jamie Boyar to score in three successive games since both Meghan Lipinoga and Kacey Bougard did so late in the 2013 season. She scored a goal and added an assist in a 2-1 win over Shepherd on Oct. 9, marking her third game this season with at least three points. She currently ranks fifth among the ECC leaders in goals and points.
FOREIGN SUBSTANCE
The Wildcats have gotten strong play in the midfield from the likes of seniors Lindsay Ciaramella and Sarah Kenny. The Canadian-born Ciaramella leads the team and ranks second in the ECC with five assists thus far. She's the first Daemen player in recent memory to record an assist in five straight games, and scored the game-tying goal in a 1-1 tie at New York Tech on Sept. 21. Kenny, an Australian native, has already set career-highs for assists (4) and points (6) while starting all 10 contests this season.
KAT'S MEOW
Junior defender Katja Meyer has netted three goals for the Wildcats this season, including the game-winning goal in the Wildcats' 3-1 defeat of Le Moyne on Sept. 11. It marked the second game-winning goal for Meyer who has proven to be a clutch player for the Wildcats over the last two seasons. Meyer's previous game-winning goal came Sept. 29, 2018 when she scored in the final minute of regulation to lift Daemen to a 2-1 defeat of New York Tech. Meyer has appeared in 39 games and made 22 starts over her three-year career, totaling seven goals, five assists and 19 points. She posted the first multi-goal game of her career with a pair of tallies in Daemen's 7-0 win over Nyack on Sept. 18.
HANES HER WAY
It didn't take long for junior midfielder Sam Hanes to make an impact once she returned to the lineup. Hanes, who missed the first two games this season while recovering from an injury, recorded a goal and an assist in Daemen's win over Goldey-Beacom on Sept. 14. It marked Hanes' first goal since the 2018 regular season finale at Chestnut Hill, and she became the eighth Daemen player to find the back of the net in 2019. She also became the sixth Daemen player this season to have a goal and an assist in the same game. Hanes has appeared in 42 games while making 41 starts in her career, totaling six goals, four assists and 16 points in those contests.
FROM THE HARDWOOD TO THE PITCH
Erin Egan is the latest player to successfully transition to soccer after completing a four-year career with the Daemen women's basketball team. She is the third player to crossover during the 11-year tenure of head coach Dan Dolan, joining former Wildcats Lindsay Stoddard and Leah McDonell. The early returns have all been positive as Egan has made an immediate impact with two goals, four assists and eight points thus far. She scored her first career goal during Daemen's 7-0 win over Nyack on Sept. 18, and found the back of the net again a week later vs. Davis & Elkins. Her journey from All-ECC basketball player to starting forward on the pitch was recently documented in a feature story for WKBW-Channel 7.
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Daemen's fast start to the 2019 season has been fueled by several players who find themselves among the national statistic leaders. Senior forward Jamie Boyar heads into this weekend as the national leader in game-winning goals this season with five. She also ranks fourth in total goals (12), 10th in goals per game (1.20), ninth in total points (25) and 14th in points per game (2.50). Senior midfielder Lindsay Ciaramella ranks second in the ECC and 20th nationally with five assists so far this season. The spotlight isn't exclusive to the offensive end as goalkeeper Maddie Flores ranks 37th in save percentage and 53rd in goals against average.
QUEENS SCOUTING REPORT
Queens brings back 15 players from their 2018 team that went 3-9-4 overall and 1-5-3 in ECC play. The Knights are off to a 6-5-0 start this season under new head coach Rafael Morais who was appointed to the position last February following a two-year stint at St. Joseph's College-Long Island. The Knights, who have lost ECC contests to Mercy (1-0) and Roberts Wesleyan (3-0), have won six contests for the first time since 2013 when they went 11-6-1. QC is coming off a 2-1 win over Wilmington earlier this week. Senior forward Victoria Ramirez has been the offensive catalyst for the Knights, totaling team-highs in goals (6), assists (8) and points (20). Ramirez leads the ECC and ranks third nationally in assists. QC has also gotten production from senior midfielder Guro Eriksen (4 goals). Sophomore Shenae Kreps is one of four goalkeepers to see action this season. She leads the group with eight appearances, and has posted a 1.18 goals against average and an .813 save percentage.
ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. QUEENS
Series Record: 1-4-1
Streak: Won 1
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Queens 0 | Oct. 10, 2018 | at Amherst, N.Y.
MOLLOY SCOUTING REPORT
Molloy is led by third-year head coach Steve Price who has guided the Lions to a 20-20-5 overall record in his tenure. At 6-3-1 this season, the Lions have already matched their win total from all 2018. Their 8-0 win over Nyack on Wednesday snapped a two-game slide as they head into the Columbus Day weekend when they host St. Thomas Aquinas (Saturday) and Daemen (Monday). Sixteen players are back from the Lions' 2018 roster. That group is undoubtedly headlined by junior midfielder Dana Poetzsch who has clearly established herself as one of the top players in the ECC. Poetzsch was a first-team All-ECC selection and the ECC Rookie of the Year in 2017 when she led the league in goals (16) and points (34). She's been super productive again in 2019, scoring 13 goals (second in ECC, second in nation) and recording 29 points (second in ECC, third in nation) while anchoring a Molloy offense that ranks seventh nationally with 32 total goals. Midfielders Lexi Verni (3 goals, 3 assists) and Lauren Marinello (3 goals, 3 assists) have also produced. Junior goalkeeper Jackie Carty has seen the bulk of action between the pipes. She leads the ECC in saves (47), save percentage (.887) and goals against average (0.62).
ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MOLLOY
Series Record: 2-4
Streak: Won 1
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Molloy 2 (OT) | Sept. 15, 2018 | at Amherst, N.Y.
UP NEXT
Daemen heads to Albany to face St. Rose, the top-ranked team in this week's East Region poll by the United Soccer Coaches.
