Men's Soccer Kicks Off 2022 Campaign Saturday

Wildcats Host Saint Michael's College at Karrer Field

8/26/2022 9:20:00 AM

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

Game #1
Saint Michael's Purple Knights (0-1-0, 0-0-0 NE-10) vs. Daemen Wildcats (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECC)
DATE: Saturday, Aug. 27
TIME: 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Amherst, N.Y. | Karrer Field
LIVE STREAM BROADCAST: via ECC Network
LIVE STATS: via Daemen Athletics

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1. BACK IN ACTION
Daemen opens its 2022 season by hosting Saint Michael's in a non-conference tilt Saturday (Aug. 27) at Karrer Field. It will mark the first ever meeting between the two programs. The Wildcats will open the year with four straight home games, before playing seven of their next eight on the road. Fourth year head coach Bediako Swan has put together a challenging schedule that features six contests against teams that won at least 10 contests during the 2021 season.

2. LAST TIME OUT
Saturday's game will mark the first game for Daemen since posting a 4-2 win over Queens in the 2021 season finale on Nov. 6, 2021. The Wildcats won three of their final seven games last year and finished with a 5-11-0 overall record and a 3-6-0 mark in East Coast Conference play. The five wins were the most in a season for the Wildcats since the 2018 campaign, while the three league victories tied the program record for most wins in ECC play in a single season (2017, 2018) since becoming a conference member in 2013.

3. RETURNING VETERANS
Daemen returns 20 players from its 2021 roster. Experience is abundant, as the team features four graduate students, nine seniors and five juniors. Daemen had a balanced attack offensively last year, as the team's 21 goals were scored by 11 different players. Veterans Christian Lewin (Bobenheim-Roxheim, Germany), Derek Bartlo (Williamsville, N.Y.) and Dennis Montero Guerrero (Weingarten, Germany) return up front. Lewin ranked second on the team in goals scored (3) last year. Senior Pontus Lundin (Asmundtorp, Sweden) and junior Michel Hölscher (Hamminkeln, Germany) return in the midfield. Lundin has stated 43 games over his career and totaled two goals and five points last year. Holscher started 11 games last year and netted three goals. The Wildcats return the core of a defensive unit that limited 12 of its 16 opponents to two goals or less last year. Seniors Trey Buscaglia (East Amherst, N.Y.) and Ajan Rajamohan (Spencerport, N.Y.) and junior Alexander Khademi (Stockholm, Sweden) will head up the back line. Graduate student Marcos Lerma Escobar (Zaragoza, Spain) returns between the pipes after starting 15 of 16 games last year. He averaged five saves a game and posted a 1.71 goals against average last fall. He turned away a career-high 12 shots in a season-ending 4-2 win over Queens College. Bartlo and Lundin will serve as team captains in 2022.

4. POLLS, POLLS, POLLS
The Daemen men's soccer team has been picked to finish eighth in the ECC this season according to the league's preseason poll which was released on August 18. 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.

5. ON THE HORIZON
Daemen will return to Karrer Field Thursday (Sept. 1) when it hosts the Pioneers of Malone University in a non-conference contest at 3 p.m.

SCOUTING THE PURPLE KNIGHTS
Saint Michael's a member of the Northeast-10 Conference. The Purple Knights are led by veteran head coach Wade Jean, who is entering his 13th season at SMC. The Purple Knights return 19 players, but just four starters, from last year's team that finished 7-9-1 overall and 3-81 in the NE-10. SMC returns two of its top three scorers from last year, including sophomore back Brock Martindale (4 gls, 2 asts) who was named to the NE-10 All-Rookie team. Fifth-year senior Isiah McCaskill returns after netting a team-high eight goals in 2021. Junior goalkeeper Ian Boudreau is back after appearing in seven games last fall. SMC opened the 2022 season with a 7-0 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas College this past Thursday.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. SAINT MICHAEL'S
Series Record: First Meeting

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.

Follow the Daemen men's soccer program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @DaemenMSOC.

Print Friendly Version