Women's Soccer Hosts Mercy In ECC Tournament Semifinal Sunday

Game To Be Played At Williamsville South High School

11/3/2023 2:27:00 PM

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

AMHERST, N.Y. – Second-seeded Daemen hosts third-seeded Mercy in semifinal round action of the 2023 East Coast Conference Championship tournament Sunday (Nov. 5) at 1:30 p.m. at Williamsville South High School. Tickets are required for entry and can be purchased through the ECC Online Ticket Portal.

THE FINAL FOUR
Four teams remain in the quest for the 2023 ECC Tournament title. Top-seeded Roberts Wesleyan will host fourth-seeded Molloy in the other semifinal game Sunday. The two semifinal winners advance to the tournament championship match next Sunday (Nov. 12), which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed. The ECC Tournament champion earns an automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Division II Championship tournament.

DAEMEN IN THE ECC TOURNAMENT
Daemen is making its third-straight and fourth overall appearance in the ECC Championship tournament. Daemen made its first-ever ECC Tournament appearance in 2018 and suffered 4-0 loss to Bridgeport in the semifinal. The Wildcats did not qualify for the tournament in 2019 and the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wildcats have suffered a 2-0 loss to Mercy in the semifinals each of the last two seasons. Sunday's game will mark the first time the Wildcats have hosted an ECC Tournament game.

THE WILDCATS (8-4-3, 6-1-1 ECC)
Daemen saw its program-record 11 match unbeaten streak (8-0-3) come to an end following a 2-0 loss at Mercy last weekend. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 30-8 over the last 12 games. Nine different players have scored for the Wildcats so far this season. Sophomore Kylie Miranto (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) recorded her third hat trick of the season during a 3-0 win at D'Youville last week and leads the ECC in goals (16) and points (36). She has recorded at least one point in 10 of Daemen's 15 games and ranks third among all NCAA Division II players in goals per game (1.07) and fifth in points per game (2.40). Freshman Magda Carpenter (Lebanon, Conn,) netted two goals in a win over Molloy--her second multi-goal game of the year--and ranks second on the team in goals (5) and points (12). Senior Brooke Amato (Grand Island, N.Y.) and Tatyjana Scalisi (Williamsville, N.Y.) both scored in a win over STAC and have both totaled two goals and four assists on the year. Sophomore Becca Schultz (Grand Island, N.Y.) has played every minute in goal this season and has allowed just eight goals over the last 12 games. Among the ECC leaders, she ranks first in save percentage (.872), second in both total saves (102) and wins (8), third in shutouts (5) and in goals against average (1.00). Her save percentage (.872) is 14th best among all NCAA Division II netminders.

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 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 defender/forward, 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. Miranto started 15 of 17 games as freshman last year and ranked second on the team in goals (5) and points (11).

POST SEASON HONORS
Seven Wildcats have earned All-ECC honors this year, while sophomore Kylie Miranto was voted Offensive Player of the Year and freshman Magda Carpenter was named Rookie of the Year. Collecting first-team All-ECC honors were Miranto, Carpenter, Alyssa Diaz and Madita Zeitz. Becca Schultz was a second team selection, while Brooke Amato and Nevada Hahn were named to the third team. The seven selections ties the program record for most selections ordinally set in 2021. Mercy is also well represented on the All-ECC team, as the Mavericks also have seven selections.

WILDCATS FALL FROM REGIONAL RANKINGS
Daemen's loss at Mercy in the regular season finale knocked the Wildcats out of the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Division II East Region poll. The Wildcats made their debut in the 2023 regional rankings on Oct. 10 and were also ranked in the Oct. 17 and Oct. 24 polls.

THE MAVERICKS (9-4-3, 5-1-2 ECC)
Mercy entered the 2023 season as preseason favorite to repeat as ECC champions, but went just 1-2-2 over their first five games. The Mavericks are 8-2-1 over their last 11 contests and are coming off a 3-0 win over sixth-seeded D'Youville in the quarterfinals of the ECC Tournament. The Mavericks ended Daemen's program record 11-match unbeaten streak following a 2-0 win over the Wildcats last weekend at Mercy. The Mavericks went 14-3-2 overall (7-0-1 ECC), claimed the ECC Tournament championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament last year. Jack Nicholson takes over as head coach after serving as an assistant coach for the Mavericks the past four seasons. He returns seven all-conference players. Sophomore Ancksu Dixon returns after leading the team in goals (11), assists (11) and points (33) last year and earning ECC Rookie of the Year honors. Senior Kayla Camacho is also back after totaling 11 goals and 27 points last year and collecting All-ECC honors. Dixon has totaled a team-high five goals and three assists this year. Sophomore goaltender Kamy Anaya is back after earning ECC Goalkeeper of the Year as a freshman last year. She has played every minute in goal this year and ranks second among the ECC goalkeepers in goals against average (0.88) and shutouts (7).

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's contest will mark the 13th all-time meeting between the Wildcats and the Mavericks. Mercy has prevailed in 11 of the previous 12 meetings. Mercy posted a 2-0 win over Daemen last weekend at Mercy Field. The teams met twice last year. Mercy posted a 2-0 win at Karrer Field during the regular season and also prevailed 2-0 in the semifinals of the ECC Tournament at Mercy Field.

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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