SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - After suffering their first loss of the season this past weekend, the Daemen College women's soccer team bounced back with a 2-1 win today over Shepherd University in a non-conference game at the SU Soccer Complex. Grace Stranahan (Grand Island, N.Y.) recorded a goal and an assist, and Jamie Boyar (Williamsville, N.Y.) netted her fifth game-winning goal of the season to lead the Wildcats.

With the win, Daemen improved to 7-1-2 this season, and the Wildcats remain unbeaten (6-0-1) in non-conference games. The Wildcats were coming off a 1-0 defeat to defending East Coast Conference and NCAA Division II national champion University of Bridgeport this past Saturday. 

Shepherd, which is in its first season as a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, dropped to 0-8-2 on the season. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Following a scoreless first half, Stranahan put Daemen on the board with her unassisted tally at the 63:38 mark. It marked Stranahan's fifth goal of the season. 
• The host Rams pulled even just over 10 minutes later when Mikayla Azar scored at the 74:55 mark off a feed from Sydney Cauffman.
• Boyar netted the go-ahead goal for Daemen at the 80:04 mark after receiving a pass from Stranahan. It marked Boyar's 12th goal of the season, and her first since Sept. 25. 
• Daemen outshot the Rams 16-10 in the game, and placed 11 attempts on frame compared to just five for the hosts. 
• Freshman goalkeeper Tori DeLappi (Medina, Ohio) made her second start of the season and totaled three saves in the win. She's now 2-0-0 on the season with an .875 save percentage and a 0.50 goals against average. 
• Three goalkeeper saw action for the Rams; Serafina Maerten made a game-high five saves but took the loss after allowing both Daemen goals. 

HEAD COACH DAN DOLAN POST-GAME COMMENTS
"Shepherd played very well defensively and frustrated us the entire first half. It was nice to see us bounce back right after the half, pick up our tempo and get back to playing our game. Even with their tying goal, we never got down and continued to attack with desire and urgency. I was happy to see us pull it out as a team and find a way to get another win." 

GAME NOTES

• At 7-1-2, Daemen is off to the best start to a season in the 20-year history of the program. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 30-7 on the season, and their +23 goal differential leads all ECC teams. 
• Daemen is ranked No. 9 in this week's East Region poll by the United Soccer Coaches. 
• The win moved Daemen to 4-0 all-time against Shepherd, a series that dates back to the 2009 season. Azar's goal was SU's first in the all-time series. 
• Daemen has now won at least seven games for the third straight season. It marks the third time in program history they've achieved that over at least a three-year stretch.
• Boyar's goal was the 49th of her career as she inches closer to Kim Walker's program record of 54. With her next tally, Boyar can become just the second player in program history to reach 50 career goals
• It also marked the 17th game-winning goal of Boyar's career, and it pulled her back into a tie with St. Rose's Nina Predanic for the national lead in game-winning goals this season with five. 
• Boyar has started all 60 games since the start of the 2016 season, and has totaled 49 goals, 11 assists and 109 points. Daemen is 23-5-2 when Boyar scores at least one goal, including a 6-0-1 record this season. 
• Stranahan's production marked her third game this season with at least three points. The sophomore midfielder continues to build on a career year as she's set personal-bests for goals (5), assists (4) and points (14). She ranks fifth in goals, assists and points among the ECC leaders. 

Daemen College features the only NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.