Junior midfielder Tron De Freitas came off the bench to play 40 minutes in Daemen's season-opening loss to Gannon last weekend

Wildcats & Redhawks Meet On Rochester Pitch Saturday

3/26/2021 12:30:00 PM

GAME #2
DAEMEN WILDCATS (0-1-0) vs. ROBERTS WESLEYAN REDHAWKS
SATURDAY, MARCH 27
RWC SOCCER STADIUM (ROCHESTER, N.Y.) - 2 P.M.
NO SPECTATORS PERMITTED DUE TO COVID-19

FREE KICK
The Thruway Rivalry adds another chapter as the men's soccer teams from Daemen and Roberts Wesleyan meet Saturday in Rochester. It's the first of two meetings between the Wildcats and Redhawks this season. They'll meet again in Daemen's season finale April 25 at Karrer Field.

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WILDCATS
1. Daemen is coming off a 2-1 loss to Gannon last Sunday. Freshman Dennis Montero Guerrero got the Wildcats off to a fast start, scoring just 42 seconds into the contest. Gannon tied the game with just under 17 minutes left in regulation time. Marcos 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. 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. It marked Daemen's return to competition after a hiatus that had reached 498 days, and the first of six contests on the abbreviated spring schedule which runs through April 25.

2. Dennis Montero Geuerrero is the fourth Daemen freshman to score a goal in a season-opening game in the last 10 seasons. He's the first to do so since Niklas Ringdahl Bohlin in a 3-1 loss to Le Moyne in 2017. The other freshman on the list are Nate Louk and Alex Reid. Reid's goal came in the second overtime and delivered a Daemen win over Roberts Wesleyan on Sept. 5, 2013.

3. Redshirt junior midfielder Anthony Cupello made his return to action Sunday at Gannon, competing for the first time in 894 days. Cupello, who appeared in and started a combined 30 games in his first two collegiate seasons, missed the final five games of 2018 and all of 2019 while recovering from an injury. Cupello has totaled three goals, 11 assists and 17 points in his career, and finished fourth among the East Coast Conference leaders with nine assists as a freshman. He's one of 17 returning players this season, a group that includes seniors Derek Mancuso and Jarrett Lecceadone, as well as sophomore Derek Bartlo, the team's 2019 MVP.

4. Junior Marcos Lerma Escobar made eight saves in his Daemen goalkeeping debut Sunday vs. Gannon. Lerma Escobar joined the program last spring after transferring from Medaille where he appeared in 11 games over two seasons with a 1.29 goals against average and a .750 save percentage.

5. After Roberts Wesleyan went 12-0-1 against Daemen from 2001-12, the Wildcats have rebounded to go 4-3-1 in the series over the last seven seasons. In that span, the teams have needed overtime to decide the outcome five times with Daemen going 3-1-1 when the games reach an extra period. The Wildcats have taken two of the last three meetings, including a 2-1 overtime victory in 2017 when freshman Sander Johannessen netted the golden goal in the game's 100th minute.

ROBERTS WESLEYAN SCOUTING REPORT
Fellow East Coast Conference member Roberts Wesleyan is playing an independent schedule this spring. Like Daemen, the Redhawks opened the season with a one-goal setback (2-1, 2OT) to Gannon. Now in his sixth season at the helm, head coach Scott Reber has posted a 34-49-7 record with the Redhawks. He has his group coming off an 11-9-1 campaign in 2019 - the program's most victories in a season since 2014. Reber led the Redhawks to their first ECC tournament berth as the No. 3 seed, bowing out in the semifinal round to second-seeded Bridgeport. The Redhawks return 13 players from their 2019 team, including nine with starting experience. The RWC returners are undoubtedly headlined by junior forward Dylan Ruiz. The Mexico City native led the ECC with 18 goals and 39 points in 2019 and was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Year. Sophomore goalkeeper Jared Gibbons, the 2019 ECC Rookie of the Year, also returns after posting a 1.79 goals against average and a .720 save percentage. Senior midfielder Johanz Tusiime netted RWC's lone goal in their recent loss to Gannon.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. ROBERTS WESLEYAN
Series Record: Roberts Wesleyan 15-4-2
At Roberts Wesleyan: Roberts Wesleyan 7-2-2
Last Meeting: Roberts Wesleyan 5, Daemen 1 | Oct. 26, 2019 | at Rochester, N.Y.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen hosts D'Youville for a 4 p.m. kickoff Friday, April 2 at Karrer Field.

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