Men's Soccer Travels To Saint Rose For Non-League Match Wednesday

10/10/2023 3:03:00 PM

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

AMHERST, N.Y. – The Daemen men's soccer team will play just one game this week, as the Wildcats travel to The College of Saint Rose on Wednesday for a non-conference match. It will mark the final non-conference match of the season for the Wildcats.

THE WILDCATS (2-7-1, 1-3-0 ECC)
Daemen is coming off a 2-1 loss to Molloy this past Saturday at Willamsville South HS. Daemen was picked to finish fifth in the ECC this season according to the ECC preseason poll. It marks the highest preseason ranking for the Wildcats since they first joined the conference in 2013. Daemen enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in program history last fall and closed out the year with a 7-7-3 overall record and a 3-4-1 mark in ECC play. The Wildcats entered the final game of the season in contention for their first ever appearance in the four team ECC Championship tournament. The seven wins tied the program record for most in a season set in 2005, 2006 and 2017. Daemen returns just 13 players from last year and the 2023 roster features 17 newcomers (11 transfers, 6 freshmen). Freshman Elijah Douglas (Clarence, N.Y.) scored his first two collegiate goals during a 3-1 win over Malone and was named ECC Rookie of the Week for his efforts. Douglas has scored a team-high three goals on the year.

Defense was a big factor in Daemen's success last fall, as the Wildcats limited 12 of their 17 opponents to one goal or less and established a NCAA-era record for fewest goals allowed (26) in a season. Graduate student Derek Bartlo (Williamsville, N.Y.) returns in the midfield off a record-breaking season last year. An all-region and all-conference selection, he finished as the team leader in goals (10), assists (4) and points (24). He recorded at least one point in eight of Daemen's final 10 games and established a new program record for most goals and points in a season during Daemen's NCAA era (2015-present). Senior Harry Firth (Reading, England), who saw limited time in his first season with the team last year, and junior college transfer Arturo Bustamante (South Gate, Calif.) have shared the goaltending duties thus far. Bustamante earned All-South Coast Conference honors last year at Rio Hondo College. Firth has started six games this year and made five saves in a 1-1 tie with Saint Michael's. Bustamante made eight saves in a loss to nationally-ranked Gannon and two saves in a 3-1 win over Staten Island.

SUDDEN IMPACT
Daemen has scored 11 goals this season and all of them have been scored by a newcomer. Freshman Elijah Douglas (Clarence, N.Y.) leads the team with three goals.

THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (3-4-3, 2-2-1 NE-10)
Saint Rose is a NCAA Division II member of the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10). The Golden Knights are coming off a 3-2 win at American International College on Saturday. Steve Wieczorek is entering his second season as head coach. The Golden Knights went 9-5-4 overall (5-3-3 NE-10) and advanced to the NE-10 tournament and the NCAA Division II tournament last year. They were ranked fifth in the 2023 NE-10 preseason poll. Senior forward Hilmar Halldorsson returns after totaling a team-high 12 goals and 26 points last year. He has scored in each of the last three games and has totaled a team-high seven goals and 15 points this year. Senior defender Victor Henriksen also returns after earning all-conference honors last year. Freshman Leopold Dufault has started all 10 games in net and made a season high eight saves during a 3-2 loss to nationally-ranked Franklin Pierce.

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's contest will mark just the third all-time meeting between the Wildcats and the Golden Knights, and the first since the 2015 season. The teams split their first two meetings. Daemen posted a 2-1 win in Albany in 2014, before CSR answered with a 2-0 win in Amherst in 2015.

UP NEXT
Daemen returns to action next Wednesday (Oct. 18) when it travels to Rochester, N.Y. for a conference match at Roberts Wesleyan University.

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.

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