Vincent Ranieri keeps the ball away from a Roberts Wesleyan defender

Katelyn Bechtel

Men's Soccer Readies for the District of Columbia and Saint Anselm

10/11/2024 11:00:00 AM

By: CONTACT: Max Sacco, Assistant Athletics Communications Director | msacco@daemen.edu

BACK ON THE PITCH
The Daemen University men's soccer team returns to the pitch, starting with a 2:30 p.m. match against East Coast Conference rival the University of the District of Columbia on Oct. 12 before heading east to New Hampshire to battle Saint Anselm College on Oct. 15 at 1 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Daemen dropped a hard fought 2-0 decision to Molloy University on Oct. 5 in Rockville Centre, N.Y. The Wildcats nearly struck first in the 53^rd minute with graduate student Dennis Montero Guerrero (Weingarten, Germany) and senior Rayane Baitiche (Thionville, France) fired two shots in quick succession on net, but both were stopped the Lions Callum Hunt to keep the match scoreless. Molloy's Sean Salguerio broke the deadlock in the 55^th minute and Brennan Murphy added one more goal with less than a minute left to secure the win for the home side. Senior Arturo Bustamante (South Gate, Calif.) made three saves while Hunt made two saves for his fourth win of the year.

NEVER SAW YOU BEFORE
Saint Anselm is the second team this season that Daemen will play for the first time in program history during the 2024 campaign. Earlier this year, the Wildcats played Goldey-Beacom College on Sept. 18 and won, 3-1, in Wilmington, Del. In the win, three different Daemen players found the back of the net while Bustamante made four saves in net for the win.

SEEING DOUBLE
Graduate student Dennis Montero Guerrero (Weingarten, Germany) and Rayane Baitiche (Thionville, France) are the only two members of the Blue and White to score twice in a match this season. Montero Guerrero supplied both of Daemen's goals in their 2-1 win over Lock Haven University back on Sept. 11, while Baitiche found the back of the net twice against Goldey-Beacom College on Sept. 18. Both instances marked the first time either player had scored two-or-more times in a game while with Daemen.

BETWEEN THE STICKS
Bustamante currently leads the ECC and is ranked nationally for multiple statistical categories. The senior keeper is currently ranked 23^rd in the nation for goalie minutes played with 810:00 and is 12^th in the nation for total saves with 45. Additionally, Bustamante is 20^th nationally and third in the conference for saves per game with an average of 5.00.

SCOUTING DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (2-6-2, 0-3 ECC)
The Firebirds got back in the win column with a 6-1 victory over Virginia State University in their last match on Oct. 9. Mustafa Tahir led the way with two goals in the victory while Giovanni Llamas made four saves for the win. On the year, Ignacio Pericet leads the squad in goals (3) and points (6) while in net, Llamas has earned both wins for the Firebirds during the 2024 season.

SERIES HISTORY
The Firebirds lead the all-time series, 9-0-1, and won the last meeting, 4-0, on Sept. 30, 2023.

SCOUTING SAINT ANSELM (1-8, 1-3 NE-10)
The Hawks were tabbed sixth in the NE-10 Preseason Coaches, earning 34 total points. Lucas Bravo Ollé leads Saint Anselm with five points (2 G, 1A) while in net, David Hood earned the lone win of the year for the Hawks.

SERIES HISTORY
Daemen and Saint Anselm have never met in men's soccer prior to this season.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats are back in action on Oct. 19 with a road contest at ECC opponent Queens College. Kick-off from Flushing, N.Y., is set for 12 p.m.

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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