Geoff Schneider

Women's Soccer Travels To Roberts Wesleyan For Key ECC Match Wednesday; Hosts STAC Saturday

10/17/2023 2:36:00 PM

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

AMHERST, N.Y. – The Daemen women's soccer team plays two East Coast Conference games this week. The Wildcats travel to Rochester, N.Y. Wednesday (Oct. 18) to face rival Roberts Wesleyan in a battled of regionally-ranked teams. RWU currently sits atop the ECC standings, while Daemen is in second place. The Wildcats cap the week by hosting St. Thomas Aquinas College Saturday (Oct. 21). The game was ordinally scheduled to take place at Karrer Field, but has been moved to Williamsville South High School. Game time has also been moved to 5 p.m. It will be the final regular-season home game for the Wildcats.

THE WILDCATS (6-3-2, 4-0-0 ECC)
Daemen is undefeated (6-0-2) over its last eight games, which is the longest unbeaten streak for the Wildcats since opening the 2019 season 6-0-2. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 22-5 during the unbeaten streak. Daemen is coming off a 1-1 draw with nationally-ranked Adelphi last week. The Wildcats remained unbeaten in ECC play (4-0-0) following a 4-1 win over Molloy at Karrer Field back on Oct. 7. Nine different players have scored for the Wildcats so far this season. Sophomore Kylie Miranto (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) recorded her first career hat trick in a 5-0 win over Lincoln and leads the ECC in goals (10) and points (23). She has recorded at least one point in seven straight games. Freshman Magda Carpenter (Lebanon, Conn,) netted two goals in the win over Molloy--her second multi-goal game of the year--and ranks fifth among the ECC leaders in goals (5) and points (12). Sophomore Becca Schultz (Grand Island, N.Y.) has played every minute in goal this season and has allowed just five goals over the last eight games. Among the ECC leaders, she ranks first in save percentage (.850), second in both total saves (68) and wins (6) and fourth in goals against average (1.09).

Daemen returns 19 players from last year and welcomes eight newcomers (six freshmen, two transfers) to the 2023 roster. Daemen went 5-1-1 over its final seven games last fall and earned its second-straight bid to the four-team ECC Championship tournament. The Wildcats suffered a 2-0 loss to eventual champion Mercy College in the semifinals. Daemen is ranked fourth in the 2023 ECC preseason coaches' poll. Five of the top six scorers return to the fold, including All-ECC selections Alyssa Diaz (Rochester, N.Y.), Tatyjana Scalisi (Williamsville, N.Y.) and Kylie Miranto (North Tonawanda, N.Y.). Diaz, a junior forward/defender, has earned all-conference honors in each of her first two seasons and totaled a team-high seven goals and 16 points last year. Scalisi has also collected All-ECC honors the past two seasons and has totaled nine goals and 28 points over her career. Miranto started 15 of 17 games as freshman last year and ranked second on the team in goals (5) and points (11).

WILDCATS CRACK REGIONAL RANKINGS
Daemen is ranked among the top Division II teams in the East Region by the United Soccer Coaches (USC) for the second-straight week. The Wildcats made their debut in the 2023 regional rankings last week, marking the first time they have appeared in the regional rankings since the end of the 2019 season. Daemen is ranked No. 9 in the poll released Tuesday.

THE REDHAWKS (9-1-2, 5-0-1 NE-10)
Roberts Wesleyan is unbeaten over its last nine games (7-0-2) and is ranked No. 7 in the East Region by the United Soccer Coaches. The Redhawks remained unbeaten in ECC play following a 1-0 win a Queens this past weekend. RWU went 14-4-2 overall (5-2-1 ECC) last year and lost to Molloy in the semifinals of the ECC Tournament. The Redhawks were picked third in the 2023 ECC preseason coaches' poll. Head coach Sarah McClellan is in her eighth season at RWU. All-conference selections Ella White, Gabrielle Ciambella, Larissa Johnson and Cassidy Pearce all return. White scored a team-high 12 goals last year, while Ciambella added seven goals and a team-high seven assists. Johnson and sophomore Alena Weibel have both scored a team-high four goals this year. The Redhawks have held eight of their 12 opponents scoreless this season. Senior goalkeeper Nicolette Knauf has started every game in goal over the past three seasons. She has posted four-straight shutouts and leads the league in goals against average (0.51).

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's contest will mark the 27th all-time meeting between the two longtime rivals. Daemen has prevailed in four of the last six meetings, but RWU owns a 12-10-4 advantage in the series. The Wildcats posted a 4-0 win over the Redhawks last year.

THE SPARTANS (2-8-1, 1-3-1 NE-10)
STAC is winless in its last six games (0-5-1) and is coming off a 4-3 loss to Staten Island this past Saturday. The Spartans went 5-10-3 overall (3-4-1 ECC) last year and were picked sixth in the 2023 ECC preseason coaches' poll. Head coach Chris Nichol is in his third season at STAC. All-conference selection Sarai Rodriguez returns after totaling a team-high seven goals and 16 points as a freshman last year. Freshmen Haley Liss and Catalena Robson have shared the goaltending duties thus far. Robson played all 90 minutes and made three saves in the loss to Staten Island.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's contest will mark the 11th all-time meeting between the Wildcats and the Spartans. Daemen has prevailed in six of the last seven meetings and the Wildcats own a 7-2-1 advantage in the series. Daemen posted a 1-0 win at STAC last year.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats return to action next Tuesday (Oct. 24) when they head across town to take on D'Youville University in an ECC match.

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 women's soccer program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @DaemenWSOC.

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