GAME INFORMATION & LINKS
Game #4
Daemen Wildcats (3-0-0, 0-0-0 ECC) vs. Goldey-Beacom Lightning (0-1-1, 0-0-0 CACC)
Saturday, Sept. 14 | 1 p.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Karrer Field
Live Stats
Live Streaming Video (via ECC Network)
FREE KICK
Daemen will look to extend its season-opening winning streak to four games this Saturday when they host Goldey-Beacom, one of the top teams from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference over the last three seasons when they've averaged 13 wins per year. The Wildcats are coming off a 3-1 win over Le Moyne earlier this week, a game that saw them erupt for three second-half goals to erase a 1-0 deficit. GBC, the highest scoring team in the CACC last season, is looking for its first goal and win of the 2019 campaign after going scoreless in season-opening games vs. St. Anselm (0-0 tie) and Bloomsburg (3-0 loss).
HISTORIC START
Daemen has gotten off to a 3-0 start for the first time in program history, scoring convincing wins over Urbana (7-0) and Mansfield (4-0) before rallying past Le Moyne (3-1). The Wildcats have outscored their first three opponents 14-1, and their +13 goal differential is the most through three games in team history. The season-opening success included a shutout streak that reached 229 minutes before Le Moyne pushed one over the goal line. The Sept. 8 win over Mansfield was their first in that series since 2002, and it snapped a six-game winless drought (0-4-2) against the Mounties. The Sept. 11 win over Le Moyne was Daemen's first-ever in that all-time series which dates back to the 2014 season and now features five meetings.
PROTECT PARK
Saturday's game comes at the friendly confines of Karrer Field on the campus of The Park School of Buffalo where Daemen is 11-5-2 since the start of the 2017 season. Daemen is unbeaten (5-0-1) in their last six home games, a streak that dates back to September of 2018.
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 is ranked 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 91-86-8 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. Daemen is 17-5-1 over the last three seasons when Boyar records a goal, and she enters her senior season ranking second for career goals (37) and third for career points (84) among Daemen's all-time leaders. 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 during her career 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 five goals and 11 total points over Daemen's first three games. She ranks among the ECC and national leaders in both goals (ECC: 1st; National: 4th) and points (ECC: 1st; National: 5th). Boyar was named the ECC Offensive Player of the Week for Sept. 2-8 - the fifth time she's garnered that honor - after notching multi-goal games in season-opening wins over Urbana and Mansfield. Her early season scoring has included the 40th goal of her career, becoming just the second player in team history to reach that total, and the 90th point of her career, becoming the just the third player in team history with at least that many. Daemen is now 20-5-1 when Boyar scores at least one goal, and 11-0 when she scores multiple times. She has started all 53 games since 2016 and has totaled 42 goals, 11 assists and 95 points. She ranks second in career goals and third in career points among Daemen's all-time leaders.
HEY ROOKIE
Alyssa Mercado was named the ECC Rookie of the Week for games played during the opening week of the 2019 season. Mercado totaled two goals and two assists in wins over Urbana and Mansfield. She is the first Daemen freshman to score in consecutive games since Jamie Boyar did so in 2016. She's also the first Daemen freshman with at least two goals in a season since 2017 when Celia de Pablo Esteban and Sam Hanes both did so.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Daemen has split starts between the pipes so far this season. Junior Maddie Flores has made a pair of starts so far, including a nine-save performance against Urbana that resulted in her fifth career shutout. She led the team's goalkeepers in appearances (12), goals against average (2.00), saves (68) and save percentage (.756) while posting a 6-5-1 record last season. Freshman Tori DeLappi earned the start vs. Mansfield and registered four saves to complete the shutout.
SAYING GRACE
Sophomore midfielder Grace Stranahan has registered three goals, one assist and seven points through the first three games this season, already eclipsing her her goal and point totals from her freshman season when she made 14 appearances and five starts. She's 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 currently ranks second among the ECC leaders in points.
FOREIGN SUBSTANCE
With players like Jamie Boyar, Grace Stranahan and Alyssa Mercado converting their goal-scoring opportunities, the Wildcats have gotten strong play in the midfield from the likes of seniors Lindsay Ciaramella and Sarah Kenny. Both Ciaramella and Kenny have totaled three assists this season, presently ranking second among the ECC leaders. The Canadian-born Ciaramella is the first Daemen player with assists in three successive games since Samantha Engel did so in 2013. Kenny, an Australian native, has already set career-highs for assists and points (5).
GOLDEY-BEACOM SCOUTING REPORT
Goldey-Beacom has been one of the top teams in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference over the last several years. The Lightning have qualified for CACC tournament play in each of the last five seasons. Their last three trips have come under the direction of head coach Dan Frick who has posted a 39-17-4 record since taking over in 2016. Goldey-Beacom has advanced to the CACC tournament semifinals in each of the last two seasons. They'll return 14 players from their 2018 team that went 15-5 overall and 11-1 in CACC play. The Lightning scored a CACC-best 63 goals last season, averaging 3.15 goals per game. Among their returners are a trio of forwards who earned All-CACC recognition: Alanna Speaks, Jenna Fannon and Melayna Immediato. Speaks and Fannon notched 14 goals apiece last season, ranking tied for third among the CACC leaders. Fannon added seven assists and totaled a team-high 35 points. Also back is junior Kelly Mejia, the 2018 CACC Defensive Player of the Year. Goldey-Beacom has been picked third in the CACC preseason poll. They opened the season with 0-0 tie against St. Anselm on Sept. 5, and then suffered a 3-0 loss to Bloomsburg on Sept. 7.
ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. GOLDEY-BEACOM
Series Record: 1-1
Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: Sept. 1, 2018 | at Wilmington, Del. | Goldey-Beacom 5, Daemen 2
UP NEXT
Daemen remains home and will host its second straight CACC opponent as Nyack comes to Karrer Field for a 2 p.m. game on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
