Cody Cavuoto started 15 games and scored four goals as a freshman last year

Men's Soccer: 2023 First Look

8/16/2023 9:58:00 AM

The Daemen University men's soccer team reported to campus and began their preseason training this week. Here are a few things to know about the 2023 Wildcats...

1. Head coach Bediako Swan returns for his fifth season at the helm. The Wildcats have seen an increase in wins in each of the previous four seasons under Swan and last year the Wildcats tied the program record for most wins in a season after finishing 2022 with a 7-7-1 overall record and a 3-4-1 mark in East Coast Conference play. The Wildcats entered the final game of the season in contention for their first ever appearance in the four team ECC Championship tournament. Daemen's 10 points and fifth place finish in the ECC standings ranked as the best since the Wildcats joined the league in 2013.

2. Daemen returns just 13 players from last year and the 2023 roster features 17 newcomers (11 transfers, 6 freshmen) to the fold. 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 Ajan Rajamohan (Spencerport, N.Y.). seniors Alexander Khademi (Stockholm, Sweden) and Michel Hölscher (Hamminkein, Germany) and sophomore Sujan Rajamohan (Spencerport, N.Y.) all return to the defensive backfield in 2023. 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). Sophomore forward Cody Cavuoto (Rochester, N.Y.) returns up front after an impressive freshman season in which he started 15 games and ranked second on the team in goals (4) and points (8). Swan must overcome the graduation of goaltender Marcos Lerma Escobar, who started 30 of a possible 31 games over the past two seasons. 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.) will challenge for the starting job this year. Bustamante earned All-South Coast Conference honors last year at Rio Hondo College.

3. Daemen will play its first three games--and seven of its first 10 games--on the road. The Wildcats open the 2023 season Labor Day weekend with a trip to Canton, Ohio to take on Walsh University (Aug. 31) and Malone University (Sept. 2) of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The Wildcats hosted these two schools at the start of the 2022 season and posted a 2-1 win over Malone and battled Walsh to a 1-1 draw. Daemen then heads to Vermont to take on Saint Michael's College of the Northeast-10 Conference on Sept. 9, before hosting Gannon University in its home open on Sept. 13 at Karrer Field. Daemen defeated St. Michael's, 3-1, in the first ever meeting between the two schools last year. Gannon is coming off a solid season in which the Golden Knights finished 13-5-2. Daemen then hosts Queens College in the ECC opener for both teams on Sept. 16. Other highlights include a trip to Erie, Pa. to take on nationally-ranked Mercyhurst University on Oct. 4 and mid-October trips to Albany, N.Y. and Salem, West Virginia for non-league games at the College of Saint Rose and Salem University. Daemen closes out the regular season on Oct. 28 when it travels to Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. to square off against defending ECC Tournament champion Mercy College.

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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