Game #15
Daemen Wildcats (8-5-1, 6-1-1 ECC) vs Queens Knights (3-7-2, 2-5-1 ECC)
DATE: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6
TIME: 11 a.m.
LOCATION: Amherst, N.Y. / Karrer Field
LIVE STATS: Via Daemen Athletics
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1. BACK IN ACTION
Daemen concludes their 2021 regular season campaign when they host the Queens Knights in an East Coast Conference matchup at 11 a.m. Saturday at Karrer Field in Amherst, N.Y. Saturday also marks the team's Senior Day contest for Daemen women's soccer, where the team will honor their two graduate students – midfielder
Sam Hanes (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) and defender
Katja Meyer (Verona, N.Y.) – in a pre-game ceremony. This will be the eighth all-time meeting between the programs, the first since Daemen's 1-0 victory on Oct. 12, 2019 in Flushing, N.Y. Queens leads the all-time series, 4-2-1, with two wins recorded at Karrer Field. This will be Daemen's first contest since a 1-0 loss at Mercy on Oct. 30 on the campus of Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. The loss ended Daemen's run as the last unbeaten team in the ECC this season and their hopes as a top-two seed in November's ECC Tournament.
Despite opportunities from both teams in the first half, including a booming kick on net from sophomore midfielder
Madita Zeitz (Malsch, Germany) just 17 seconds into the contest, the score remained 0-0 at the half thanks to strong play in net from both teams. This was the first time Daemen and their opponent held each other scoreless heading into halftime since a 3-1 loss at St. Anselm on Sept. 15. After controlling the pace of the second half within Daemen territory, Mercy got on the scoreboard for the game's eventual lone goal at the 58:48 mark (59th minute.) A rare turnover in front of the Daemen net resulted in a 2-on-0 opportunity for Mercy as Kayla Camacho intercepted a pass and found Dominique Bono on the left side, who fired a shot on the low right side of the Daemen net for a 1-0 lead. The goal marked the first time Daemen trailed in a contest this season since a 2-0 deficit early in the second half against Bridgeport (2-2 tie on Oct. 16). Daemen finished with three shots on goal in the loss – their lowest mark in a contest this season since a two-shot outing in a 3-1 loss at St. Anselm on Sept. 15. This also ended a nine-game streak where the Wildcats recorded at least five or more shots on net – a stretch which included five games where they finished in double-digits.
Junior goalkeeper
Tori DeLappi (Medina, Ohio) recorded four saves in the loss in what was her 14th start of the season (17th career.)
The loss at Mercy marked the first loss for Daemen women's soccer in a traditional East Coast Conference season since a 2-1 road loss at Molloy on Oct. 14, 2019 (746 days.) Daemen enters Saturday at 8-5-1 overall, 6-1-1 in ECC play and 7-2-1 in their last 10 contests. Saturday is Daemen's last regular season contest before the ECC Tournament commences. Daemen previously punched their ticket for the four-team tournament following Mercy's win over Queens on Oct. 22.
2. SENIOR SALUTE
Prior to the start of Saturday's contest, the Daemen women's soccer program will be honoring their two senior players – graduate students
Sam Hanes and
Katja Meyer. Entering Saturday, Hanes and Meyer have played integral roles in the team's success since the 2017 season. In that time, the Wildcats have achieved a 38-26-6 record (as of November 4), two East Coast Conference Tournament appearances, and, in 2019 alone, clinched the most wins in a single season in the NCAA era (2015 – present) with an 11-4-3 record and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history when they faced St. Rose on November 22, 2019.
Hanes has served as a midfielder for Daemen women's soccer for four seasons and future plans include completing her last year of the Physical Therapy Professional Phase at Daemen College and graduating with a doctorate in physical therapy in May 2023. The North Tonawanda, N.Y. native has appeared in 62 career games, including 61 starts for the Wildcats, and recorded three of her eight career assists along with scoring one goal (2-2 draw at Bridgeport on Oct. 16) in 2021. Hanes enters Saturday with seven goals and eight assists (22 points) for her Daemen career.
Meyer has served as a defender for Daemen women's soccer for five seasons and will graduate this upcoming May with a degree in health promotion and a minor in biology. Meyer is also currently in graduate school at Daemen College and future plans include completing her final year in the school's masters' program and graduating with a masters' degree in 2023. The Verona, N.Y. native has appeared in 65 career games, including 46 starts for the Wildcats, and recorded two of her nine career goals and two of her seven career assists in 2021. Meyer enters Saturday with nine goals and seven assists (25 points) for her Daemen career.
3. MILESTONE MANIA
Through the first 14 contests in 2021, Daemen has netted 32 goals from 12 different players and 13 players have recorded at least one point (team total of 89.) Since senior midfielder
Grace Stranahan (Grand Island, N.Y.) scored in the 54th minute of Daemen's 3-1 loss at St. Anselm on Sept. 15, the Wildcats have outscored their opponents, 30-10, and have allowed only 10 goals over the last 11 contests.
The strong play of junior goalkeeper
Tori DeLappi (Medina, Ohio) has been a major factor for Daemen's strong play over the past few weeks as she has started all 14 contests in 2021. DeLappi enters Saturday with an 8-5-1 record, a 1.24 GAA (fourth best in ECC) and an .800 save percentage (fourth best in ECC.) DeLappi recorded her 10th career victory as a Daemen goalkeeper in Daemen's 2-1 victory over Clarion on Oct. 26.
The ECC Defensive Player of the Week for games played Oct. 18-24, DeLappi now joins former teammate
Maddie Flores (20 career wins) as the only goalkeepers to record 10+ wins for the Wildcats in the program's NCAA era (2015 – present.)
Leading the way offensively is junior forward
Tatyjana Scalisi (Williamsville, N.Y.) The Division I Buffalo transfer, as of Oct. 28, has recorded the second most goals among ECC players this fall with seven tallies. Scalisi was also the first ECC player to reach double-figure points with 19, which paces all Daemen players and is the second highest total among all conference players. Scalisi enters Saturday's contest having recorded at least one point in six of the last nine games.
By scoring in the 40th minute against Clarion on Oct. 26, sophomore forward
Brooke Amato (Grand Island, N.Y.) recorded her fifth goal in 2021 and has scored in consecutive appearances. The goal surpasses her four-goal mark she set as a freshman in the unorthodox season. Through just 11 games of her Wildcat career, Amato has now recorded nine goals (19 total points) and is one goal from joining Daemen's "10 Goal Club" (
Grace Stranahan and Meghan Lipinoga, 10; Jamie Boyar, 55) in the program's NCAA era (2015 – present.) By scoring in the 71st minute against the Golden Eagles, veteran defender
Katja Meyer (Verona, N.Y.) recorded the ninth goal of her Daemen career. Like Amato, Meyer is one goal away from joining Daemen's "10 Goal Club." Meyer recently played in her 65
th career game – a 1-0 loss at Mercy on Oct. 30.
By scoring in a 2-2 draw at Bridgeport on Oct. 16, freshman defender
Alyssa Diaz (Rochester, N.Y.) recorded her fourth goal of the season and was named the ECC Rookie of the Week for women's soccer
for games played Oct. 11-16. Diaz enters Saturday with 13 points on the season and is now in a three-way tie for fifth most among ECC players. Diaz also joins Scalisi,
Faye Panagopoulos (Kenmore, N.Y.) and
Brooke Amato (Grand Island, N.Y.) to reach double-digits in total points among Daemen players. With the four goals, Diaz is now tied with Amato plus former players Celina de Pablo Esteban (2017) and
Alyssa Mercado (2019) for the second most goals scored by a freshman in the program's NCAA era (2015 – present.) The program's all-time scorer, Jamie Boyar, scored a program-best six goals in her freshman campaign in 2016.
By scoring in that same contest against Bridgeport,
Sam Hanes (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) recorded her first goal of the season and was named the ECC Offensive Player of the Week for women's soccer
for games played Oct. 11-16. The draw against the Purple Knights was her first three-point outing since her one-goal, one-assist performance in a 3-1 victory versus Goldey-Beacom on Sept. 14, 2019. Including her assist in the following contest against Staten Island (Oct. 23), Hanes has now recorded seven goals and eight assists (22 total points) while wearing the blue-and-white.
By scoring against STAC on Oct. 9, Panagopoulos now has seven goals for her Daemen career. The forward already joins current teammates Amato, Hanes, Stranahan and Meyer to score at least five goals during their time at Daemen.
By scoring against Roberts Wesleyan on Sept. 29, this was the 10th career goal in Stranahan's career. She became the third player in Daemen's NCAA Division II era (2015 – present) to score at least 10 career goals (Meghan Lipinoga, 10; Jamie Boyar, 55). Stranahan had netted a career-high six goals and totaled 17 points during the 2019 season. Through 50 appearances, Stranahan has recorded 10 goals and 29 points and enters Saturday looking for her third assist in the past four games.
This fall, Daemen returned 17 players who were on the roster for the unorthodox 2020-21 academic year, including 10 who were part of the Wildcats' NCAA tournament team in 2019 when they finished 11-4-3 – the best season in the program's NCAA era (2015 – present.)
4. CONFERENCE PLAY COMMENCES
For the first time in two years, all East Coast Conference members in women's soccer will return to conference play this fall. Daemen women's soccer has been picked to finish fourth in ECC play this season, according to the league's preseason poll which was released on August 27. Daemen earned 63 total points following their abbreviated spring season. Following Mercy's victory over Queens on Oct. 22, Daemen clinched a spot in the upcoming ECC Tournament. This is Daemen's second conference tournament appearance since gaining full NCAA Division II membership in 2015. With a victory over Mercy Saturday, Daemen women's soccer would secure a top-two seed and at least one home contest in the upcoming ECC Tournament. As of Nov. 4, Molloy and Mercy are tied at the top of the ECC standings with a 7-1-0 record. Following their loss to Mercy last Saturday, Daemen now sits in third place with a 6-1-1 record. Roberts Wesleyan rounds out the top four at 5-3-0. The ECC Tournament will feature the top four teams in the final regular season standings with the No. 1 and 2 seeds hosting semifinal games on Thursday, November 11; the highest remaining seed hosts the tournament finals on Sunday, November 14.
5. ON THE HORIZON
Daemen now prepares for their semifinal contest in the East Coast Conference Tournament, which will be played on Thursday, November 11. The official seedings for the four-team tournament will be announced following the conclusion of games played this Saturday, November 6.
QUEENS SCOUTING REPORT
Queens is a member of the East Coast Conference. The Knights saw their 2020 season cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Their season-opening 1-1 draw at Chestnut Hill on Sept. 8 was the program's first game action in 670 days. The Knights enter Saturday's contest with a 3-7-2 overall record and 2-5-1 in ECC play. Queens enters looking to end their season on a high note as they search for their first win since Oct. 2 (14-1 win versus Lincoln.) Queens is led by second-year head coach Rafael Morais. Morais led the Knights to a 7-9-1 finish in his first season (2019). Morais previously served as head coach at Division II St. Joseph's College – Long Island and advanced to the Skyline Conference semifinals in 2017 and 2018. Morais also was the head women's soccer coach at Suffolk Community College from 2015-17, where he led the Sharks to their first-ever NJCAA Tournament appearance and the District and Region XV championships in 2015. Morais also led the Briarcliffe men's soccer program to five straight USCAA title games, winning in 2008 and 2012. Morais served as the head coach of the Puerto Rico Women's National Team in 2010. Morais was a student-athlete at Dowling College in 2002 before transferring to what is now LIU Post in 2004, tallying 33 career points (14 goals, five assists). The Knights return eight players from the 2019 team. Freshman midfielder Jacklyn Diel and sophomore defender Samantha Pinto are tied for the team lead in goals scored (4) and total points (9) in 2021. Freshman forward Julia Ragone and junior forward Alexis Ciaramitaro have added three goals apiece. Collectively, Queens has totaled 26 goals and 65 points. In net, sophomore Ariana Vargas has posted a 2-4-2 record, a 1.60 GAA and a .675 save percentage.
ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. QUEENS
Series Record: Queens 4-2-1
At Daemen: Queens 2-1-0
Last Meeting: Daemen 1, Queens 0 | Oct. 12, 2019 | at Flushing, N.Y.
