Women's Soccer Hosts Lincoln In Regular Season Finale Saturday

Wildcats Have Already Secured A Spot In The ECC Tournament

10/28/2022 11:44:00 AM

By: CONTACT: Tom McDermott, Director of Athletics Communications | tmcdermo@daemen.edu

Game #16
Daemen Wildcats (4-9-2, 4-3-0 ECC) vs. Lincoln Lions (1-12-0, 0-6-0 ECC)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 28
TIME: 11 a.m.
LOCATION: Amherst, N.Y. | Karrer Field
LIVE STREAM BROADCAST: via ECC Network
LIVE STATS: via Daemen Athletics

BACK IN ACTION
Daemen closes out the regular season by hosting Lincoln in an East Coast Conference match Saturday (10/29). The Wildcats are 4-1-1 over their last six games and have outscored their opponents 14-6 over that stretch.

SENIOR SALUTE
Eight members of the 2022 Daemen women's soccer team will be honored prior to Saturday's game in recognition of the final home game of their careers. Graduate students Katelyn Sidoti and Grace Stranahan, along with seniors Tori DeLappi, Julia Eichel, Nicole Grichen, Faye Panagopoulos, Natalie Such and Megan White will all take part in the pre-game ceremony.

PLAYOFF SPOT SECURED
The Wildcats secured a berth in the upcoming ECC Championship tournament following a 4-1 win at Staten Island this past Wednesday. Daemen is making its second straight and third overall appearance in the ECC Tournament. Semifinal games will take place this Wednesday (Nov.2) and will be hosted by the higher seeded. The tournament championship match is set for next Saturday (Nov. 5) and will be hosted by the highest remaining seed. Daemen will either be seeded third or fourth and will play at either Molloy or Mercy on Wednesday. The ECC Tournament champion receives and automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore Alyssa Diaz (Rochester, N.Y.) totaled two goals and an assist to lead Daemen to a 4-1 victory over Staten Island this past Wednesday at Dolphins Soccer Park. Daemen had several solid scoring chances early in the game, but the game remained scoreless until the 33^rd minute when Diaz took a lead pass from senior Faye Panagopoulos (Kenmore, N.Y.) and sent a shot into the upper left corner. The Wildcats finished with a 9-3 edge in shots during the first half and teams entered halftime with Daemen holding a 1-0 lead.nDaemen doubled its lead 25 minutes into the second half after Panagopoulos beat CSI goalkeeper Sara Villacres to a lead ball and scored into an open net. It marked the second goal of the year for Panagopoulos, who also scored in a recent win over D'Youville. The Dolphins cut the lead in half just 27 seconds later when Christina Lambraia redirected a cross from Macy-Jones Busch. Diaz gave the Wildcats a 3-1 lead in the 75^th minute with her second goal of the game off a feed from freshman Kyle Miranto (North Tonawanda, N.Y.). Miranto secured the win when she scored off a pass from Diaz with just over 10 minutes to play. Daemen finished with a 16-8 advantage in shots overall (12-2 in shots on goal). Senior goalkeeper Tori DeLappi (Medina, Ohio) went the distance in goal for Daemen and was credited with one save.

RETURNING VETERANS
Daemen returns 20 players from its 2021 team, including six who collected All-ECC honors last year. Experience is abundant, as the team features two graduate students, seven seniors and five juniors. The team's top five scorers from last year all return to the pitch this fall. Senior Tatyjana Scalisi (Williamsville, N.Y.) and sophomore Alyssa Diaz (Rochester, N.Y.) accounted for 13 of the team's 34 goals last year and both earned first team All-ECC honors. Scalisi also earned all-region honors, while Diaz became the first player in program history to be named the ECC Rookie of the Year. All-conference defenders Julia Eichel (Grand Island, N.Y.) and Baylin Tighe (Tonawanda, N.Y.) return after heading up a backline that surrendered just 20 goals in 16 games last year. Senior goalkeeper Tori DeLappi (Medina, Ohio) is coming off an all-conference junior season in which she averaged five saves a game and posted a 1.27 goals against average. Graduate students Grace Stranahan and Katelyn Sidoti will serve as teams captains for 2022. Diaz has totaled four goals and team-high 10 points--all of which have come over the last five games. Miranto has also netted four goals and ranks second ion points (9). DeLappi has started 12 games in goal. She ranks fourth among the ECC leaders in total saves (56), goals against average (1.61) and save percentage (.757).

AMATO AND EICHEL COLLECT CONFERENCE HONORS
Junior forward Brooke Amato (Grand Island, N.Y.) and senior defender Julia Eichel (Grand Island, N.Y.) have been honored by the ECC for their play last week. Amato was selected the ECC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week, while Eichel was named the ECC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week. The announcement of award winners was made via the league's weekly sport report. It marks the second-straight week that a Daemen women's soccer player has garnered a major weekly award from the conference. Last week freshman Kylie Miranto (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) was selected ECC Women's Soccer Rookie of the Week after scoring her first two collegiate goals in a 3-0 win over D'Youville. Amato collects ECC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the third time in her career after leading Daemen to a 4-0 upset of regionally ranked Roberts Wesleyan in Daemen's lone game last week. She netted two second-half goals to secure the win and keep the Wildcats in the hunt for a bid to the upcoming four-team ECC Tournament. Eichel headed up a defense that limited Roberts Wesleyan to just two shots on goal in the game. RWU, which suffered just its third loss of the season, entered the game ranked third in the league in goals scored (34). Eichel has started all 15 games this year and leads the team in minutes played. She has played all 90 minutes in 10 of the team's 15 games and has headed up a defense that has limited 11 of its 15 opponents to two goals or less.

ROAD WARRIORS
Daemen recently closed out a stretch of seven-straight road games and has played 10 of its 15 games on the road this season.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen begins its quest for a first ever ECC Tournament championship on Wednesday when the Wildcats play a semifinal round game at either Molloy or Mercy.

SCOUTING THE LIONS
Lincon stands at 1-12-0 overall and 0-6-0 in the ECC. The Lions went 0-14-0 overall (0-9-0 ECC) last year and were picked ninth in the 2022 ECC preseason coaches' poll. Sophomore Parker Moss scored four goals in a non-league win over Trinity and has totaled a team-high five goals and 12 points. Freshman Niani Randall has appeared in a team-high six games in goal and made nine saves in a recent 4-1 loss to Staten Island.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. LINCOLN
Record: Daemen, 4-0-0
At Daemen: Daemen, 1-0-0
At LincolnI: Daemen, 3-0-0
Last Meeting: Daemen 9, LU 0 | Sept. 26, 2021 | at Lincoln University, Pa.

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

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