Women's Soccer Picked Third In ECC Preseason Poll

Wildcats Achieve Highest Preseason Ranking Since Joining ECC

8/27/2019 3:30:00 PM

By: By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

AMHERST, N.Y. - After breaking through for their first conference tournament berth at the NCAA Division II level last season, Daemen College is ranked No. 3 in the East Coast Conference Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll which was announced today. It marks Daemen's highest-ever preseason ranking since joining the ECC in 2013.

Despite being picked seventh in the 2018 preseason poll, Daemen went on to win a program-best five ECC games en route to a fourth-place finish in the league standings. On the heels of that success, the Wildcats garnered 54 points in this year's poll voting, edging out No. 4 New York Tech (53 points). Defending ECC and Division II national champion University of Bridgeport received eight of the nine first-place votes, sitting atop the poll with 79 points. Mercy College sits at No. 2, receiving 73 points and the lone remaining first-place vote.

Thirteen players return to the mix this season, including eight who started at least 10 games in 2018. The Wildcats' veteran players have led the program's resurgence over the last two seasons, producing a 17-15-2 overall record. It's the team's most successful two-year span since winning a combined 21 games over the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Seniors Jamie Boyar (Williamsville, N.Y.) and Lindsay Ciaramella (St. George, Ont.), and juniors Sam D'Agostino (Mississauga, Ont.) and Katja Meyer (Verona, N.Y.) headline the Wildcat returners. Boyar enters her final collegiate season ranking second in goals (37) and third in points (84) among Daemen's all-time career leaders. The first-team All-ECC forward stands 16 points shy of becoming just the third player in program history to reach 100. Ciaramella, who totaled a career-high nine points in 2017, figures to play a pivotal role distributing the ball in the midfield this season. D'Agostino was a third-team All-ECC pick last season, and she returns to anchor the Wildcats' defensive unit from her center back position. Meyer broke out with four goals and three assists playing up front alongside Boyar last season.

Daemen opens the 2019 season on Friday, Sept. 6 when they host a non-conference game against Urbana University. Conference play gets underway Saturday, Sept. 21 with the Wildcats visiting New York Tech. The top four teams in the final ECC standings will advance to the ECC Championships with the semifinal round slated for on-campus sites Wednesday, Nov. 13, and the tournament champion being crowned Saturday, Nov. 16.

2019 ECC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Bridgeport - 79 (8)
2. Mercy - 73 (1)
3. DAEMEN - 54
4. New York Tech - 53
5. Molloy - 40
6. Roberts Wesleyan - 37
7. St. Thomas Aquinas - 35
8. Queens - 24
9. Lincoln - 10

( ) denotes first-place votes

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.

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