ERIE, Pa. - The Daemen College men's soccer team opened its 2020 season with a hard fought 2-1 loss to Gannon University this afternoon at McConnell Family Stadium on the Gannon campus.

Daemen had its traditional fall season canceled due to the pandemic and the Wildcats are playing an abbreviated six game schedule this spring. For consistency purposes the season will be labeled as 2020 and all results and statistics will count in the historical records.

The game marked Daemen's return to competition after a hiatus that reached 498 days. The Wildcats last competed on Nov. 9, 2019 when they suffered a 6-1 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas College in the their 2019 season finale.

Gannon, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2019, improved to 3-1-0. The Golden Knights are a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and are playing an independent schedule this spring.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Daemen opened the scoring just 42 seconds into the contest when freshman midfielder Dennis Montero Guerrero (Weingarten, Germany) took advantage of a misplay by the Gannon defense and broke in alone on net minder David Weber. Montero Guerrero sent a shot just inside the right post for his first collegiate goal.
• Gannon nearly evened the score a minute into the second half when sophomore Tinashe Katsande collected a loose ball in the Daemen box and got off a shot that was saved by Daemen net minder Marcos Lerma Escobar (Zaragoza, Spain).
• The Golden Knights controlled most of the play in the second half and eventually tied the game at 1-1 with just under 17 minutes left in regulation time. Lerma Escobar made a nice save off a header following a corner kick, but the rebound went right to the feet of sophomore forward Sergio Del Castillo and he promptly one-timed the ball into the lower right corner.
• Daemen almost regained the lead five minutes later when sophomore Chris Cox (Buffalo, N.Y.) got his head on a free kick from the right sideline and forced freshman David Syntelien to make his only save of the game.
• Gannon netted the game winner with just 4:52 left in regulation off a free kick from 25 yards out. Sophomore midfielder Lennox Crews sent the kick over the Daemen wall of defenders and into the upper right corner just past the diving Lerma Escobar.
• The Golden Knights posted a 9-3 edge in shots during the first half and finished with a 17-4 advantage overall.
• Lerma Escobar, a transfer from Medaille College, went the distance in goal for the Wildcats and made eight saves in his Daemen debut. Weber played the first half for Gannon and was not credited with a save. Syntelien made one save in the second half for the Golden Knights.

GAME NOTES

• Six newcomers were in the starting lineup for Daemen today.
• Gannon outshot the Wildcats 39-4 and scored six first-half goals en route to a 7-1 victory over Daemen last year.
• Gannon has now prevailed in five of the last six meetings between the two teams and the Golden Knights own a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats (0-1) are idle until next Saturday (March 27) when they travel to Roberts Wesleyan College. RWC opened its season with a 2-1 (OT) loss to Gannon yesterday.

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Support Daemen College's return to intercollegiate athletic competitions by making a contribution to the Game On Campaign and the Daemen Wildcats Gotta Play Fund. This comprehensive fundraising campaign was established to help offset the loss of valuable external revenue streams that directly support Daemen's 17 varsity teams. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.