Freshman Lauren Cuisia and Daemen women's soccer continue their season against rival Roberts Wesleyan Saturday.

Women's Soccer Faces Roberts Wesleyan Saturday

Wildcats look for first win of season versus long-time rival

4/2/2021 12:25:00 PM

By: By Joe Kraus, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

GAME #2
DAEMEN WILDCATS (0-1-0) vs. ROBERTS WESLEYAN REDHAWKS (2-0-0)
SATURDAY APRIL 3
RWC SOCCER STADIUM (ROCHESTER, NY) - 6 P.M.

FREE KICK
Daemen hits the road for the first time this season Saturday afternoon when they visit their long-time rival, the Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks in the second game of the Wildcats' 2020 season which had been delayed to the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WILDCATS
1. Daemen is coming off a 2-0 loss to St. Rose at Karrer Field on March 26, which marked their return to competition after a hiatus that reached 491 days. The Wildcats and the Golden Knights were scoreless for nearly the first 28 minutes of the contest before Samantha Diaz's goal St. Rose a 1-0 lead. Sophomore goalkeeper Tori Delappi stopped seven of the Golden Knights' nine shots in the contest and made four saves in the first half alone. This was the Wildcats' first game action since Nov. 22, 2019 when they suffered a 4-0 loss to this same Golden Knights team in the NCAA Division II East Regionals. Saturday against Roberts Wesleyan is the second of six contests on the abbreviated spring schedule which runs through May 2.

2. Daemen returns 17 players from their 2019 team, including six who started at least 10 games. Grace Stranahan is now in her junior season as a midfielder. Stranahan is one of five returning players who scored goals for the Wildcats last season, a group that includes senior Samantha Hanes, junior Katja Meyer and sophomores Alyssa Mercado and Faye Panagopoulos.

3. Named the team's Most Improved Player in 2019, midfielder Grace Stranahan looks again to be one of Daemen's top playmakers this spring. In 18 games, Stranahan finished among the ECC's top 10 in 2019 with six goals (9th), five assists (6th) and 17 points (7th) and finished only behind Jamie Boyar in these categories for Daemen. Stranahan recorded points in seven different games and played 90 or more minutes in five games in 2019.

4. Senior Maddie Flores returns to lead Daemen between the pipes. The Seattle, Wash. native has made 22 starts over the last three seasons and and recorded a career-high six shutouts in 2019. Flores led a defensive unit that surrendered only 13 goals through the course of the regular season in 2019. Flores posted a 9-4-3 goalkeeping record and finished third in saves (80) and save percentage (.833) and fourth in goals against average (0.99) among the ECC leaders. The goalkeeping group also includes sophomores Tori Delappi and Megan White. Delappi appeared in three games and two starts for the Wildcats in 2019 and posted a 0.40 goals against average and a .889 save percentage. White, a West Seneca native, did not appear in any games as a true freshman in 2019.

5. Head coach Dan Dolan returns for his 12th season roaming the Daemen sidelines. The longest-tenured coach and winningest coach in the history of the Daemen women's soccer program, Dolan enters the new season just one win shy of reaching 100 for his career. Dolan added eight newcomers to the roster, including sophomore Tatyjana Scalisi. The Williamsville native transferred after playing her freshman season at Division I Buffalo.

ROBERTS WESLEYAN SCOUTING REPORT
Roberts Wesleyan is a member of the East Coast Conference and is playing an independent schedule this spring. The Redhawks are led by fifth-year head coach Sarah McClellan and finished 10-6-3 overall in 2019. With the Redhawks, McClellan has compiled a 30-32-8 record and has two winning seasons (2016, 2019). McClellan previously spent eight seasons (2008-2015) as head coach of Division I Binghamton and the prior two seasons as an assistant coach. During her tenure, the Bearcats advanced to the America East Conference tournament five times and appeared in the championship game in 2009. The Bearcats also advanced to the conference semifinals in 2008 and 2011. McClellan previously had a head coaching stint with the Maryland Pride of the semi-pro Women's Premier Soccer League in 2006 and served as an assistant at both Division II Drury (Mo.) and Division III Goucher (Md.). A 2003 graduate of Maryland, McClellan played under U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame member and World Cup Champion Shannon Higgins-Cirovski and advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice in her three seasons on the squad. McClellan later spent four years playing in the pre-professional W-League and the WPSL. RWC's 27-player roster includes 16 returning players. Among the departed is second-team All-ECC selection Israela Groves but third-team All-ECC selection Morgan Razzano returns. The Green Island, NY native led the team in goals (8) and points (19) in her freshman campaign. So far this season, sophomore Olivia Grande and junior Eboni Redman-Coombs lead the Redhawks with two goals apiece.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. ROBERTS WESLEYAN
Series Record: Roberts Wesleyan 11-8-4
At Daemen: Roberts Wesleyan 7-4-4
At RWC: 4-4
Last Meeting: Daemen 0, Roberts Wesleyan 0, 2 OT | Oct. 26, 2019 | at Amherst, NY

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen continues their season when they head to Buffalo on April 11 where they'll face East Coast Conference newcomer D'Youville with kickoff slated for 3 p.m.

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