Game #3
Daemen Wildcats (1-1-0, 0-0-0 ECC) vs Slippery Rock The Rock (1-0-2, 0-0-0 PSAC)
DATE: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
TIME: 3:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Slippery Rock, Pa. / James Egli Field
LIVE STREAM: Via PSAC Digital Network
LIVE STATS: Via Slippery Rock Athletics

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1.         BACK IN ACTION
Daemen continues their early season road trip Saturday afternoon when they square off against Slippery Rock at 3:30 in Slippery Rock, Pa. Piling up mileage will be an early theme for the Wildcats this season as six of their first seven contests are on the road. This is the first meeting between the programs since The Rock secured a 2-0 victory in Daemen's season opener on Sept. 5, 2015 held at James Egli Field.
 
2.         LAST TIME OUT
Daemen secured their first win in their return to a traditional, 16-game schedule with a 2-1 victory at Malone on Sept. 4 and finished 1-1-0 on their Ohio road trip, bouncing back from a 2-1 loss at Walsh on Sept. 2. After a tough defensive battle with limited shots on goal for both team, Daemen struck first against the Pioneers. In the 23rd minute, junior midfielder Derek Bartlo (Williamsville, N.Y.) connected off a pass from classmate Trey Buscaglia (East Amherst, N.Y.) to give Daemen a 1-0 lead. This was the veteran's first goal with Daemen men's soccer since the program's 6-1 season-finale loss at St. Thomas Aquinas on Nov. 9, 2019. Then, in the 27th minute, Buscaglia found the back of the net himself for his first career goal after receiving a pass from freshman midfielder Vincent Ranieri (Spencerport, N.Y.) to extend Daemen's lead to 2-0 through the halftime break. Malone wouldn't go down without a fight, though, as a goal in the 71st minute to cut Daemen's lead in half, 2-1. The Daemen defensive unit went to work, however, in the final 19 minutes of regulation to secure their first win of the 2021 campaign. Daemen senior goalkeeper Marcos Lerma Escobar (Zaragoza, Spain) made his second start of the season and recorded four saves against the Pioneers. This was his second win and fifth career start as a Wildcat goalkeeper. Since scoring in the 80th minute against Roberts Wesleyan on March 27, 2021, Daemen has outscored their opponents, 10-4, and are winners in four of their last five contests dating back to the spring 2021 season. Saturday was also Daemen's first multi-goal performance since a 2-0 victory at D'Youville on April 30, 2021. This contest was the fifth and final game of an abbreviated 2020 schedule that was postponed to spring 2021 due to COVID-19 protocols.
 
3.         RETURNING VETERANS
Expectations for Daemen men's soccer are high this fall as 26 players from their 2020-21 roster return, many of whom were key contributors for their 3-2-0 finish. Daemen had a balanced attack offensively as nine goals were scored by six different players – and all are returning this fall. Strikers Dennis Montero Guerrero (Weingarten, Germany) and Christian Lewin (Bobenheim-Roxheim, Germany) and defender/midfielder Michel Holscher (Hamminkeln, Germany) accounted for six of the team's nine goals. Midfielder Anthony Cupello (Rochester, N.Y.) finished with a team-high three assists after missing the end of the 2018 season and all of the 2019 campaign while recovering from an injury. Rejoining the Daemen defensive unit is junior Pontus Lundin (Asmundtorp, Sweden). The Swedish native made a combined 29 starts in 2018 and 2019, and led the team in goals (3) and points (6) during his sophomore campaign. Key veterans Derek Mancuso (Friendship, N.Y.) and Jarrett Lecceadone (Randolph, N.Y.) will both compete as graduate students this fall. Senior Marcos Lerma Escobar (Zaragoza, Spain) joins Lecceadone as a returning goalkeeper. Lerma Escobar, who transferred from Medaille College in spring 2020, recorded his first victory with the blue-and-white when he recorded a career-high 12 saves in Daemen's 3-1 victory versus RWC on April 25.
 
 
4.         POLLS, POLLS, POLLS
Daemen men's soccer team has been picked to finish ninth in the East Coast Conference this season according to the league's preseason poll which was released on August 26. Daemen earned 24 total points following the abbreviated season. The ECC Tournament will feature the top four teams in the final regular season standings with the No. 1 and 2 seeds hosting semifinal games on Wednesday, Nov. 10; the highest remaining seed hosts the tournament finals on Saturday, Nov. 13.
 
 
5.         ON THE HORIZON
Daemen continues their long stretch of road contests when they visit Central New York and square off against the Le Moyne Dolphins of the Northeast-10 in a non-conference contest on Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 1 PM at Ted Grant Field.
 
 
SLIPPERY ROCK "THE ROCK" UNIVERSITY SCOUTING REPORT
Slippery Rock is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. After having their 2020 season cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols, The Rock returned to action with a 1-1 tie versus #25 Lake Erie College on Sept. 2 and a 1-0 victory at the University of Findlay on Sept. 5. Their season continued with a 2-2 draw against Walsh on Sept. 8. The Rock are led by fifth-year head coach Kevin Wilhelm, who returned for a second stint coaching the program, first with the interim tag in 2018, before leading The Rock to an 8-9-2 record and a PSAC Tournament berth in 2019 – their most wins in a single season since 2015. Prior to his return in 2018, SRU had combined for 10 wins the previous two seasons and recorded no more than five wins in both those seasons. Wilhelm was also an assistant coach at SRU under Matt Thompson for a total of five seasons over two stretches from 2002-03 and 2007-09. During Wilhelm's last stint at The Rock, he helped guide SRU to a 41-19-4 (.672) record and the 2009 PSAC championship. Three of The Rock's top six goalscorers from 2019 return this fall, including Alejandro Fernandez. The junior midfielder / forward was second on the team in goals (5) and total points (12) in 2019 and already scored once this fall in SRU's tie with Lake Erie College. Veterans Ramses Minaya and Mo Kanani also return with hopes of scoring this season after recording three goals apiece in 2019. Junior Hossam Aly appeared in net in both contests last week and recorded six saves this past Thursday against Lake Erie College.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. SLIPPERY ROCK
Series Record: Slippery Rock 2-0
At Slippery Rock: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Slippery Rock 2, Daemen 0 | Sept. 5, 2015 | at Slippery Rock, Pa.