Alexander Khademi and Daemen men's soccer head to the pitch one last time this spring Friday night at D'Youville.

Wildcats Close Out Season At D'Youville Friday Night

4/29/2021 1:45:00 PM

By: By Joe Kraus, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

GAME #5
DAEMEN WILDCATS (2-2-0) vs. D'YOUVILLE SAINTS (1-1-0)
FRIDAY, APRIL 30
DOBSON FIELD (BUFFALO, NY) - 7:30 P.M.
VISITING TEAM SPECTATORS LIMITED - SEE D'YOUVILLE SPECTATOR POLICY

FREE KICK
Daemen men's soccer closes out their spring season when they visit East Coast Conference newcomer, D'Youville, Friday night at Dobson Field. Daemen looks for its third win of the season following a 3-1 victory against rival Roberts Wesleyan on April 25 and a 2-0 victory versus Medaille on April 15. Friday's game is the fourth all-time meeting between Daemen and D'Youville and the first duel in nearly five years.

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WILDCATS
1. Daemen is coming off a 3-1 victory Roberts Wesleyan on April 25 for their Senior Day match at Karrer Field. At the 4:36 mark, freshman midfielder Michel Hölscher scored his second goal in as many games off an assist from redshirt junior Anthony Cupello to give Daemen a 1-0 lead. Daemen struck again in the 16th minute when sophomore Christian Lewin connected off a pass from freshman Dennis Montero Guerrero to give Daemen a two-goal lead. Freshman defenseman Alexander Khademi later scored his first of the season in the 29th minute for a 3-0 Daemen advantage. Junior goalkeeper Marcos Lerma Escobar recorded a new season-high 12 saves against the Redhawks, with seven of them coming in the first half alone.

2. The freshmen duo of Dennis Montero Guerrero and Michel Hölscher lboth lead the team in goals scored (2) and total points (4) heading into Friday's season finale. 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. Hölscher, meanwhile, has scored a goal in each of Daemen's victories against Medaille (April 15) and their home match against RWC (April 25.)

3. Redshirt junior midfielder Anthony Cupello is coming off a two-assist performance against the Redhawks Sunday.This was his first multi-assist game since his two assist effort in Daemen's 3-2 victory against Molloy in their season finale on Oct. 28, 2017. Cupello made his return to action at Gannon on March 21, competing for the first time in 894 days. After appearing in and starting a combined 30 games in his first two collegiate seasons, Cupello missed the final five games of 2018 and all of 2019 while recovering from an injury. Cupello has totaled three goals, 14 assists and 20 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 three appearances, junior Marcos Lerma Escobar has made an impact between the pipes and established a new season-high 12 saves against Roberts Wesleyan on April 25. This surpassed his previous best with the blue-and-white when he stopped 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. This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Daemen and D'Youville since the series began in October 2002 and the first overall as members of the East Coast Conference. Daemen currently holds an all-time 3-0 record and have won twice at Dobson Field. The last meeting resulted in a 1-0 Daemen victory on Sept. 11, 2016.

D'YOUVILLE SCOUTING REPORT
D'Youville is in its first season transitioning from Division III to Division II after years of membership in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. The Saints were welcomed as members of the East Coast Conference this past summer and are playing an independent schedule this spring. After their first two games were postponed, D'Youville opened the season with a loss to Roberts Wesleyan (9-1 on April 18) before thier victory against Hilbert (9-0 on April 22.) Now in his eighth season at the helm, head coach Brendan Murphy has posted a 25-87-7 record with the Saints. He has his group coming off an 8-10 campaign in 2019 - the program's most victories in a season since 2011. In 2018, Murphy led DYC to its second consecutive AMCC playoff appearance and third playoff appearance in his tenure when they finished 4-4-1 in conference play to earn the fifth seed. The Saints return 13 players from their 2019 team. The returners are headlined by 2019 AMCC second team selection Nick Dumond. The junior midfielder scored a team-high eight goals in 2019 and leads the team again with five goals this spring. Defenseman Jake Kowalewski returns for a senior campaign this spring after he was named to the AMCC third team in 2019. Sophomore Chris Irakoze is currently second on the team in scoring with two goals and senior goalkeeper Kyle Dick has recorded a .643 save percentage and a 3.51 goals against average.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. D'YOUVILLE
Series Record: Daemen 3-0
At Daemen: Daemen 1-0
Last Meeting: Daemen 1, D'Youville 0 | September 11, 2016 | at Buffalo, N.Y.

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