GAME INFORMATION & LINKS
Game #8
Daemen Wildcats (5-0-2, 0-0-1 ECC) vs. Mercy Mavericks (5-1-0, 1-0-0 ECC)
Saturday, Sept. 28 | 1a a.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Karrer Field
Live Stats
Live Streaming Video (via ECC Network)

FREE KICK
A three-game homestand continues for Daemen as they welcome Mercy to Karrer Field for a key East Coast Conference contest on Saturday. The Wildcats are looking to get back in the win column after coming up with ties in recent games against New York Tech (1-1) and Davis & Elkins (2-2). To do so, they'll need to knock off one of ECC's premier programs, one they've never beaten before. In six all-time meetings, the Mavericks have emerged victorious in each. Those wins have been part of Mercy's ascent to the league's hierarchy as they've qualified for the ECC Championships in six successive seasons. A win Saturday would extend Daemen's unbeaten streak to eight straight games, matching the longest such streak in program history which was last accomplished in 2011. 

HISTORIC START
At 5-0-2, Daemen is off to the best start in program history, and they've done so in dominating fashion. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 27-5, and they presently lead the ECC in total goals, goals per game (3.86) and goal differential (+22). The 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 included 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. The team's current seven-game unbeaten streak is tied for the second longest such streak in program history, matching one that covered the final five games of 2012 and the first two of 2013. 

PROTECT PARK
Saturday's game comes at Karrer Field on the campus of The Park School of Buffalo where Daemen is 13-5-3 since the start of the 2017 season. Daemen is unbeaten (7-0-2) in their last nine home games, a streak that dates back to September of 2018. In four home games this season, the Wildcats are outscoring opponents 19-3. 

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 93-86-10 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 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 11 goals and 23 total points over Daemen's first seven games. She's 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 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 - the 48th of her career - pushed her career point total to 107, surpassing Samantha Engel for second in team history. Daemen is now 22-5-2 when Boyar scores at least one goal, and 13-0 when she scores multiple times. She has started all 57 games since the start of the 2016 season, and stands just six goals shy of Kim Walker's program record (54) established from 2003-06. 

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Jamie Boyar is currently ranked first in goals (11) and second in points (12) among the national leaders for Division II. She shares the national goal-scoring lead with Anniina Sankoh of Lynn University. Sankoh has recorded 26 points to just out-pace Boyar in total points thus far. Boyar also leads the country with four game-winning goals, and ranks fifth in goals per game (1.57). 

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
Junior Maddie Flores has made six starts so far this season, posting a 4-0-2 record with a pair of shutouts. She presently ranks first in saves (41), second in save percentage (.891) and third in goals against average (0.78) 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 13-7-3 while making 25 appearances in her career. Freshman Tori DeLappi earned the start vs. Mansfield on Sept. 8 and registered four saves to complete the shutout. 

SAYING GRACE
Sophomore midfielder Grace Stranahan has registered four goals, three assists and 11 points through the first seven 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 currently ranks fifth among the ECC leaders in 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 seven 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 36 games and made 19 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 and started 39 games 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 has become 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. 

MERCY SCOUTING REPORT
Mercy has developed into one of the top programs in the East Coast Conference over the last several years. After never finishing higher than sixth in the league standings during the first 13 years of the program's existence, the Mavericks haven't finished worse than fourth in the last six seasons. That six-season stretch includes five seasons of 10+ wins, two ECC regular season titles, two conference tournament championships and four NCAA tournament berths. The Mavericks return 15 players from their 2018 team that went 12-3-2 overall, including six who earned All-ECC recognition. Senior midfielder Natalia Elizarraras (1st Team All-ECC), junior goalkeeper Melissa Torres (2nd Team All-ECC) and sophomore midfielder Anicia Reyes (3rd Team All-ECC) headline the returners. Reyes finished second on the team with six goals a season ago. The Mavericks are reporting to a new leader as Danny Leon, Jr. was promoted to head coach following several seasons as an assistant. Leon's head coaching career is off to a 5-1 start, After suffering a 4-2 loss to nationally-ranked Southern New Hampshire in their season opener, Mercy has rattled off five straight wins, all by single goal margins. Senior defender Trista Seara has paced the Mavericks with four goals, two assists and 10 points this season. Torres ranks fourth in save perentage (.800) and goals-against average (0.96) among the ECC leaders. The Mavericks were picked second in the ECC preseason poll, and they come in ranked fourth in the latest United Soccer Coaches East Region poll. 

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MERCY
Series Record: 0-6
Streak: Lost 6
Last Meeting: Mercy 3, Daemen 1 | Oct. 3, 2018 | at Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

UP NEXT
Daemen's three-game homestand concludes next Saturday, Oct. 5 when they host defending ECC and Division II national champion Bridgeport at Karrer Field.