Game #2
Malone Pioneers (2-0-0, 0-0-0 GMAC) vs. Daemen Wildcats (1-0-0, 0-0-0 ECC)
DATE: Thursday, Sept. 1
TIME: 3 p.m.
LOCATION: Amherst, N.Y. | Karrer Field 
LIVE STREAM BROADCAST: via ECC Network
LIVE STATS: via Daemen Athletics

BACK IN ACTION
Daemen looks to open the 2022 season with back-to-back wins as the Wildcats play host to Malone University in a non-conference tilt Thursday (Sept. 1) at Karrer Field. Daemen will be looking to start the season 2-0-0 for the first time since 2010. The Wildcats 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.

LAST TIME OUT
Daemen opened up the 2022 season with a 3-1 win over St. Michael's this past Saturday at Karrer Field. It marked the first time since 2014 that the Widcats have opened a season with a victory. Daemen opened up the scoring just nine minutes into the game when senior captain Derek Bartlo (Williamsville, N.Y.) put the ball into the top left corner of the net on an assist by graduate student Carlos Espana (Madrid, Spain). St. Michael's responded in the 21st minute to tie the game at 1-1 on an Isaiah McCaskill penalty kick. In the second half, Daemen regained the lead when freshman Riccardo Boscolo Bachetto (Chiogga, Italy) recorded his first collegiate goal in the 68th minute on an assist from junior Nassim Zahouani (Saint Denis, France) to give Daemen the 2-1 advantage. Boscolo Bachetto notched a second goal three minutes later when he headed home a corner kick by fellow freshman Sujan Rajamohan (Spencerport, N.Y.)i to make it 3-1. Daemen out-shot St. Michael's 17-5 in overall shots in the game. The Wildcats also held a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal. Graduate student Marcos Lerma Escobar (Zaragoza, Spain) made one save on five shots faced.

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.

BOSCOLO BACHETTO NAMED ECC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Freshman forward Riccardo Boscolo Bachetto (Chioggia, Italy) was named the East Coast Conference Men's Soccer Rookie of the Week on Monday. He becomes the first Daemen men's soccer player to be selected ECC Rookie of the Week since Philipp Schmidt in September of 2018. The 6-foot-1 forward scored twice to help the Wildcats post a 3-1 victory over Saint Michael's.

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.

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

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SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Malone is a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Malone went 1-17-0 overall and 1-13-0 in the GMAC last year. Bill Lawrence was named head coach this past June. The Pioneers were picked 11th in the 2022 GMAC preseason poll and opened the 2022 season with a 6-2 win over D'Youville last Thursday. Malone improved to 2-0-0 following a 5-1 victory over Alderson Broaddus on Saturday. Freshman midfielder Christian Piccolotto totaled three goals and three assists during the two wins last week and was named GMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. Sophomore forward Tha Lwe contributed two goals and an assist against Alderson Broaddus, while junior midfielder Colton Fry notched two goals in the win over D'Youville. Sophomore goalkeeper Gavyn Ernst has gone the distance in net in both games and stopped four shots against Alderson Broaddus. Tuesday's game will mark the 15th all-time meeting between the former NAIA American Mideast Conference members. Daemen has prevailed in two of the last three meetings, but Malone owns a 9-5 advantage in the all-time series. Daemen scored two first half goals en route to a 2-1 win over Malone last year in Canton, Ohio.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MALONE
Series Record: Malone, 9-5
At Daemen: Malone,  3-2
At Malone: Malone, 6-3
Last Meeting: Daemen 2, Malone 1 | Sept. 4, 2021 | at Canton, Ohio
 

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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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