Geoff Schneider

Women's Soccer At Chestnut Hill Tuesday; Hosts Staten Island And Lake Erie This Weekend

9/18/2023 4:56:00 PM

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

AMHERST, N.Y. – The Daemen women's soccer team plays three games this week. The Wildcats travel to Philadelphia, Pa. to face Chestnut Hill College Tuesday (Sept. 19) and then host The College of Staten Island (Sept. 23) and Lake Erie College (Sept. 24) this weekend. Saturday and Sunday''s game will be played at Karrer Field on the campus of The Park School in Amherst, N.Y. Match time is 11 a.m. both days.

THE WILDCATS
Daemen opened the 2023 season with non-conference losses to Assumption (2-0), American International (2-1) and nationally-ranked Saint Rose (3-2), before posting a 1-0 win over regionally-ranked Queens this past weekend. The matchup with Queens was the East Coast Conference opener for both teams. Four different players have scored for the Wildcats so far this season. Freshman Magda Carpenter (Lebanon, Conn,) scored her first colegiate goal in the loss to third-ranked Saint Rose. Sophomore Becca Schultz (Grand Island, N.Y.) has played every minute in goal thus far and is averaging six saves per game. She stopped three shots en route to her second career shutout this past weekend against Queens.

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).

HOME SWEET HOME
Daemen will play five of its first seven games at home. The Wildcats are 10-6-1 at home since the start of the 2021 season.

THE GRIFFINS
Chestnut Hill is a NCAA Division II member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). CHC stands at 2-1-0 on the year and opened conference play with a 3-2 win over Bloomfield Saturday. Head coach Jonathan Geist is entering his fourth season at CHC. The Griffins went 9-6-5 overall (5-3-4 CACC) last year and made their first-ever appearance in the CACC Tournament championship game last year. CHC was picked sixth in the 2023 CACC preseason poll. Geist returns 13 players from last year's team and welcomes 10 newcomers (seven freshmen, three transfers). Senior Antonia Linus, a transfer from West Chester, scored the game-winning goal in a season-opening 2-1 win over St. Thomas Aquinas and also scored in the win over Bloomfield. Freshman Ellie Stratz has started all three games in goal and ,ade four saves in the win over STAC.

SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday's contest will mark just the second all-time meeting between Daemen and Chestnut Hill. Daemen posted a 6-0 win over Griffins during the 2018 season in the first ever meeting.

THE DOLPHINS
Staten Island returns 14 players from last year and welcomes nine newcomers (seven freshmen, two transfers) to the 2023 roster. The Dolphins stand at 2-0-3 on the year and Saturday's game will be their ECC opener. CSI will be playing its first game since playing Georgian Court to a 3-3 draw back on Sept. 13. Head coach Alex Mendolia is in his first season at CSI. The Dolphins went 2-9-3 overall and 2-5-1 in the ECC last year. They were picked eighth in the 2023 ECC preseason poll. Junior Isabella Radovini, a transfer from St. Francis College, scored twice in a 3-0 win over Felician and has totaled a league-high four goals and nine points. Junior Sara Villacres has started three games in net and made six saves in a 1-1 tie with Texas A&M International.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's contest will mark just the third all-time meeting between the the Wildcats and the Dolphins. Daemen prevailed in the previous two meetings, including a 4-1 win at Staten Island last year.

THE STORM
Lake Erie is a NCAA Division II member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). LEC stands at 1-3-1 (0-2-0 G-MAC) on the year and they travel to regionally-ranked Cedarville on Wednesday. LEC's win came at D'Youville back on Sept. 8. Head coach Becks Young is in her first season at LEC. The Storm went 1-14-2 overall and 0-13-1 in the G-MAC last year. LEC was picked 13th in the 2023 G-MAC preseason poll. Young returns 16 players from last year's team and welcomes 16 freshmen. Six different players have scored a goal for the Storm thus far this season. Freshman Toni Franovic and junior Brenna Walker scored in the win over D'Youville. Freshman Morgan Vanmeter has started all five games in goal and made a season-high six saves in a season-opening 2-1 loss to Roberts Wesleyan.

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's contest will mark the fifth all-time meeting between the the Wildcats and the Storm, but the first since the 2017 season. Lake Erie has prevailed in three of the previous four meetings. Daemen posted a 2-1 win in overtime the last time the teams met, Sept. 8, 2017 at Karrer Field in Amherst, N.Y.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats are idle until Sunday, Oct. 1 when they travel to Lincoln (Pa,) University for 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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