Marcello Astudillo and Daemen men's soccer hosts Medaille at Karrer Field Thursday.

Wildcats Host Mavericks In Weekday Matchup

4/14/2021 11:15:00 AM

By: By Joe Kraus

GAME #3
DAEMEN WILDCATS (0-2-0) vs. MEDAILLE MAVERICKS (0-0-0)
THURSDAY, APRIL 15
KARRER FIELD (AMHERST, NY) - 5 P.M.
LIMITED SPECTATORS PERMITTED - SEE DAEMEN SPECTATOR POLICY - NO VISITING TEAM SPECTATORS

FREE KICK
Daemen men's soccer will play its first home game in 530 days when they host crosstown foe Medaille at Karrer Field. The contest was originally scheduled as a home game for Medaille on April 8, but plans changed following a pause in the Mavericks' team activities related to COVID-19. Daemen, whose 2020 schedule was delayed from last fall until this spring due to the pandemic, has suffered setbacks to Gannon (2-1) and Roberts Wesleyan (4-2), as well as an exhibition loss last weekend at Mercyhurst (4-0). This is Medaille's first contest of the spring season. Thursday's game the 11th all-time meeting between the programs and the first in nearly 10 years.

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WILDCATS
1. Daemen is coming off a 4-0 exhibition loss to Mercyhurst on April 10 in Erie, Pa. It was Daemen's first contest since facing Roberts Wesleyan two weeks prior. The game remained scoreless until the Lakers scored four second half goals in an 11-minute span starting at the 47th minute to secure the victory.

2. Freshman Dennis Montero Guerrero leads the team in goals scored (2) and total points (4) heading into Thursday's contest. By scoring against Gannon on March 21, Montero Guerrero became 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. Montero Guerrero later scored in the team's 4-2 loss at Roberts Wesleyan on March 27.

3. Redshirt junior midfielder Anthony Cupello made his return to action at Gannon on March 21, 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. Through his first two appearances, junior Marcos Lerma Escobar has made an impact between the pipes, including stopping eight shots in his Daemen goalkeeping debut vs. Gannon on March 21. 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. Medaille leads the all-time series with a 7-3 record and are winners of the last six meetings. This is the first meeting between these two teams since a 4-1 victory by the Mavericks on Sept. 20, 2011 in a contest held at All High Stadium in Buffalo, N.Y. Daemen's last win in the series came by a 2-1 overtime final on Sept. 8, 2004.

MEDAILLE SCOUTING REPORT
A member of NCAA Division III and the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, Medaille is playing an independent schedule this spring. The Mavericks are coming off a 13-5-2 finish in 2019, finished as the regular season champions and advanced to the AMCC championship game as the top-seed before falling to second-seeded Penn State Behrend, 1-0, on Nov. 2, 2019. The Mavericks are led by interim head coach Sean Hallas, who served as an assistant coach in the program under former coach Craig Wilkinson during the 2019 season. Medaille's 21-player roster includes 11 returning players, including four of their top five playmakers from 2019 in the quartet of junior forwards Jack Napier and Carlos España, sophomore forward Eric Metade and senior midfielder Joel Rodwell. España was an All-AMCC First Team selection and collected all of his 12 points (4 goals, 4 assists) in conference play. Napier finished second on the team in scoring with seven goals, six of them coming in AMCC play. Metade tied for third on the team in goals (4) and total points (12) while Rodwell finished fifth overall with two goals and seven points. All-AMCC Second Team selection Ben Marrable returns for a sophomore season and All-AMCC Third Team selection Juan Montoya returns for a senior campaign this spring and will serve as quality midfield options again for the Mavericks.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MEDAILLE
Series Record: Medaille 7-3
At Daemen: Medaille 4-1
Last Meeting: Medaille 4, Daemen 1 | Sept. 20, 2011 | at Buffalo, N.Y.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen hits the road for a rescheduled match against Buffalo State on April 22 with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m.

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