AMHERST, N.Y. – On an unseasonably warm but blustery day at Karrer Field, the Daemen University women's soccer team suffered a 2-0 setback against regionally ranked Saint Anselm College in a non-conference meeting - the third of Daemen's four-game homestand to round out the 2024 regular season.
Saint Anselm, a member of the Northeast-10 Conference, entered today's game ranked eighth in United Soccer Coaches East Region poll. The Hawks improved their record to 5-3-7, thanks in part to a 24-11 advantage in total shot attempts, including a 14-3 edge in shots on goal.
Daemen saw its overall record dip to 7-8-0 with the loss. On the strength of their 5-1-0. mark in East Coast Conference play, the Wildcats have already locked up the No. 2 seed and a bye into the semifinal round of the upcoming ECC Championship tournament.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Junior goalkeeper
Becca Schultz (Grand Island, N.Y.) went the distance between the pipes for Daemen, finishing the game with 12 saves, including a couple of sprawling stops early on. She also kept the ball from the crossing the goal line in the 18th minute of the contest when Josie Pecor's shot hit the left post and ricocheted off of Schultz and towards the net. Schultz, the reigning ECC Defensive Player of the Week, has now made at least 10 saves in five games this season.
• Daemen's best scoring opportunity came in the 37th minute when junior forward
Kylie Miranto (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) whistled a shot just wide of the upper right corner. Miranto, senior midfielder
Ramone Trentin (Sãl Leopoldo, Brazil) and graduate midfielder
Lauren Cuisia (Mississauga, Ont.) all recorded shots on goal for the Wildcats.
• After a scoreless opening half, Saint Anselm got on the board in the 50th minute when Pecor knocked in her third goal of the season. Pecor was in the middle of a scrum near the six-yard box as she deflected the ball into the net off a corner kick from Erin Rutherford.
• The Hawks added some insurance in the 73rd minute, again on a corner kick opportunity. This time, Rutherford's left-swinging feed deflected off Meghan Deneen and over the goal line for her first marker of the season.
GAME NOTES
• Today's game marked the third all-time meeting between Daemen and Saint Anselm in a series that dates back only to 2021. The Hawks have won all three meetings.
• The loss was just Daemen's second in their last 11 regular season home games, dropping to 8-2-1 in that span.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats conclude the regular season this Saturday, Nov. 2 as they welcome crosstown rival D'Youville University to Karrer Field for an 11 a.m. East Coast Conference game.
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 and Instagram at @DaemenWSOC.
