GAME INFORMATION & LINKS
Game #7
Daemen Wildcats (0-6-0, 0-1-0 ECC) vs. #9 Mercy Mavericks (6-0-1, 1-0-0 ECC)
Saturday, Sept. 28 | 1:30 p.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Karrer Field
Live Streaming Video (via ECC Network)
Live Stats

FREE KICK
Daemen returns to conference play Saturday (Sept. 28) when it hosts nationally-ranked Mercy College in an East Coast Conference game. The Wildcats opened ECC play last weekend with a 3-0 loss at New York Tech and dropped to 0-6-0 on the year following a 5-1 setback at California University of Pennsylvania this past Wednesday. Mercy opened ECC play with a 2-1 win over Queens last Saturday and remained undefeated (6-0-1) on the year following a 3-0 win over Jefferson on Wednesday. The Mavericks were picked first in the ECC preseason poll and are ranked ninth nationally and second in the East Region by the United Soccer Coaches.

BELIEVE IN BEDI
The 2019 season marks a new era for the Wildcats as head coach Bediako Swan takes the reins. Swan was introduced last February as the sixth head coach in the modern era of the Daemen men's soccer program, coming over after assistant coaching gigs at Division I St. Francis (Pa.) and Division II Davis & Elkins. Last fall in his only season with the Red Flash, Swan contributed to St. Francis' 9-5-3 campaign. In four seasons at D&E, he helped the Senators average 10 wins per season. A native of Grenada, Swan is a 2012 graduate of D&E where he enjoyed a successful playing career that included two all-conference and one all-region selection.

HOME COOKING
Saturday's game will mark the first of three-straight home games for Daemen. The Wildcats posted a 4-3-0 record at home last season, their first season with a better than .500 winning percentage at home since going 3-0-0 in 2000.

BUILDING BLOCKS
The Wildcats return 11 players from last year's team that finished 5-12-0 overall and 3-6-0 in the ECC. Five of the returning 11 hold two years of collegiate playing experience. Those five players - goalkeeper Jarrett Lecceadone, midfielder Anthony Cupello, forwards Derek Mancuso, Craig Buchanan and Nate Sorgi - have each played a role in helping Daemen to 12 wins over the last two seasons, marking the program's most successful two-year span since winning 14 games from 2005-06. Lecceadone saw action in nine games and made five starts as a freshman, but was limited by injuries to just two appearances in 2018. He and sophomore Eithan Hahn are likely to each see time between the pipes early this season. Cupello was named the team's MVP despite missing the final five games of the 2018 season with an injury. In 30 career games, Cupello has posted 17 points (3 gls, 11 asts). Buchanan has appeared in 36 games over the last three seasons, totaling three goals and two assists.

LUNDIN BRIDGE
Sophomore defender Pontus Lundin has netted two of Daemen's four goals so far this season, with both coming by way of penalty kick. His goal in the 64th minute vs. Malone on Sept. 5 evened the score at 1-1, and marked the first tally of his collegiate career. Two days later against Walsh, his goal at the 51:00 mark broke a scoreless tie, and held up as the game's only scoring until Walsh netted the equalizer with less than four minutes remaining in regulation.

FOR THE RECORD
Junior Derek Mancuso (Friendship, N.Y.) and redshirt sophomore Ben Christidis (Fairport, N.Y.) both registered their first career point during the loss to regionally-ranked Le Moyne on Sept. 17. Mancuso netted his first career goal just 3:06 before halftime. Christidis assisted on the goal for his first career point. Freshmen Alex Christidis (Fairport, N.Y.) and Eman Wajed (Buffalo, N.Y.) also registered their first career points during the loss to Cal U on Sept. 25. Christidis netted his first career goal early in the second half. Wajed assisted on the goal for his first career point.

RIDERS ON THE STORM
Daemen's game at Gannon on Sept. 11 was suspended and later fully postponed due to a thunderstorm moving through the Erie, Pa. area. Because the game had not yet reached the 70 minute mark, it was essentially declared a no contest. The teams have re-scheduled the game for Monday, Oct. 7 at McConnell Family Stadium. The game will re-start from the beginning with a 0-0 score.

MERCY SCOUTING REPORT
Mercy is led by head coach Pedro Velazquez, who is in his third season with the Mavericks. He was named ECC Coach of the Year last year after leading Mercy to a 13-4-1 record, its first NCAA Division II Tournament appearance since 1989 and a share of the ECC regular-season title. Seniors Maximillian Rebolledo-Camus and Gaston Rozenblum top the list of returning players after being named ECC Preseason Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year respectively. Rebolledo-Camus was named second-team All-Region and first-team All-ECC last year after totaling a team-high 11 goals. He has scored a goal in three of the last five games this year and has totaled 8 points (3 gls, 2 asts) on the year. Senior Ignacio Mangada, a third-team All-Region pick last year, has scored in each of the last three games this year and has totaled a team-high 10 points (4 gls, 2 asts). Rozenblum, the ECC Defensive Player of the Year last year, heads up a defense that has allowed just six goals so far this season. Junior Joel Serrano, who earned JUCO All-America honors at Marshalltown CC last year, has started five games this year and leads the ECC in goals against average (0.83).

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MERCY
Series Record: 0-6
Streak: L-6
Last Meeting: Mercy 3, Daemen 2 | Oct. 3, 2018 | at Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen returns to Karrer Field Thursday (Oct. 3) for a non-conference game against Salem University. It will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.