Senior forward Derek Mancuso will lead Daemen into their first game in nearly 500 days

Men's Soccer To Open Season Sunday At Gannon

Wildcats' first game in nearly 500 days

3/19/2021 9:30:00 AM

GAME #1
DAEMEN WILDCATS (0-0-0) vs. GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (1-1-0)
SUNDAY, MARCH 21
MCCONNELL FAMILY STADIUM (ERIE, PA.) - 12 P.M.
NO SPECTATORS PERMITTED DUE TO COVID-19

FREE KICK
Daemen makes a short 90-minute trek just over the Pennsylvania border to face the Gannon Golden Knights in the opening game of the Wildcats' 2020 season which has been delayed to the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WILDCATS
1. The game marks Daemen's return to competition after a hiatus that's reached 498 days. The Wildcats lasted competed on Nov. 9, 2019 when they suffered a 6-1 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas. It's the first of six contests on the abbreviated spring schedule which runs through April 24.

2. Daemen returns 17 players from their 2019 team, including team MVP Derek Bartlo now in his sophomore season as a midfielder. Bartlo is one of six returning players who scored goals for the Wildcats last season, a group that includes senior forward Derek Mancuso, junior midfielder Mateo Astudillo, sophomore forward Chris Cox, sophomore forward Christian Lewin and sophomore defender Alex Christidis.

3. Among the returners is redshirt junior midfielder Anthony Cupello who sat out all of last season while recovering from an injury. Cupello appeared in and started a combined 30 games in his first two collegiate seasons, totaling three goals, 11 assists and 17 points. As a freshman, he finished fourth among all East Coast Conference players with nine assists during a seven-win season. Cupello will be lacing up his gameday spikes for the first time in 894 days on Sunday. He last played on Oct. 9, 2018 vs. Notre Dame (Ohio) and was still named the team MVP despite missing the final five games of the season.

4. Senior Jarrett Lecceadone returns to lead the Daemen goalkeeping group. The Randolph, N.Y. native has appeared in 19 games over the last three seasons and made a career-high 51 saves in 2019. The group also includes Marcos Lerma Escobar, a junior hailing from Zaragoza, Spain who transferred last spring from Medaille. While playing for the Mavericks, Lerma Escobar appared in 11 games and posted a 1.29 goals against average and a .750 save percentage. A third goalkeeper, Ohio native Quincy Scott will sit out as a redshirt this season.

5. Head coach Bediako Swan returns for his second season roaming the Daemen sidelines. Swan was able to bolster the roster with the addition of 11 newcomers, including seven who come from foreign countries. Several of the newcomers are expected to make immediate contributions.

GANNON SCOUTING REPORT
Gannon is a member of the Pennsylavania State Athletic Conference and is playing an independent schedule this spring. The Golden Knights are led by second-year head coach Billy Colton who was named PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2019 after leading the team to an 18-3-0 record and the program's first NCAA tournament berth since 2012. Gannon's 40-player roster includes 20 returning players. Among the departed are five players who earned All-PSAC honors, but defenders Lennox Crews and Sergio Del Castillo do return. Both players were named to the All-PSAC West second team and Del Castillo earned PSAC West Freshman of the Year honors in 2019. The Madrid native finished second on the team in goals (9), assists (6) and points (24). The Golden Knights have opened the season with a split of their first two games, falling 2-1 to Division I St. Bonaventure on Feb. 19 before dominating NAIA opponent Point Park in a 7-1 win on Mar. 12. They've also played exhibition contests against Ashland and Tiffin, dropping both contests by 1-0 scores. Del Castillo (4 goals, 9 points) and Crews (2 goals, 3 assists, 7 points) have led the way offensively, while freshmen goalkeepers David Syntelien and David Weber have split time between the pipes thus far.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. GANNON
Series Record: Gannon 4-2
At Gannon: Gannon 3-0
Last Meeting: Gannon 7, Daemen 1 | Oct. 7, 2019 | at Erie, Pa.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen travels east to Rochester on Mar. 27 where they'll face long-time rival Roberts Wesleyan with kickoff slated for 2 p.m.

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