Olivia Kayser fights for the ball at AIC on Sept. 8, 2024

Bob Blanchard

Women's Soccer Prepares for Road Contest Against Roberts Wesleyan

9/23/2024 2:30:00 PM

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

LOCAL RIVALS
The Daemen University women's soccer team heads east to face local rivals Roberts Wesleyan with kick-off from Rochester, N.Y., set for 5 p.m. While both schools are members of the East Coast Conference, the game will be played as a non-conference contest.

WEEKLY WINNERS
Juniors Kylie Miranto (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) and Becca Schultz (Grand Island, N.Y.) each earned a pair of weekly awards as Miranto was tabbed the ECC Offensive Player of the Week while Schultz was named the conferences Defensive Player of the Week. For Miranto, she scored her fourth career hat trick in Daemen's 5-2 win over the College of Staten Island on Sept. 21, hitting the back of the net in the first minute (:47), 61st minute, and 90th minute of play to lead the Wildcats to an ECC-opening win over the Dolphins. Miranto secured her first hat trick since Oct. 24, 2023, against crosstown rival D'Youville University snf now has four during her collegiate career. As for Schultz, the junior netminder made a career-high 15 saves while facing 32 total shots in Daemen's 2-0 loss to No. 10 Southern New Hampshire University before recording six saves to backstop the Wildcats to their 5-2 ECC win over Staten Island. Last season, the duo were tabbed as both the offensive and defensive players of the week in the same week on two occasions.

BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN
The Wildcats snapped their losing streak with a 5-2 thrashing of Staten Island in the first East Coast Conference game for both teams on Sept. 21 at the CSI Outdoor Track & Field Complex. Miranto led the offensive charge for Daemen, netting her first hat trick of the 2024 campaign while sophomore Magda Carpenter (Lebanon, Conn.) and freshman Kaitlyn Wright (Geneva, N.Y.) each added a goal as well. For Wright, it also marked her first collegiate goal. In net, Schultz earned her first win of the 2024 campaign, making six saves while Oksana Zahirna made 10 saves in the losing effort. Each goalie played the entire 90 minutes between the sticks. Daemen outshot Staten Island, 26-14 and held a 15-8 edge on shots on goal at the final whistle.

BRICK WALL
Junior goalkeeper Becca Schultz currently leads the ECC and ranks in the top ten nationally in multiple statistic categories. The Grand Island, N.Y., native ranks fourth nationally in total saves with 43 after she made 21 total saves over the weekend, highlighted by a career-high 15 at No. 10 Southern New Hampshire. Schultz also is currently ranked ninth in the nation for save per game with an average of 8.60. The junior netminder has started all five games for Daemen this year and made ten-or-more saves on two occasions.

2023 RECAP
Last year under head coach Dan Dolan, the Wildcats qualified for the ECC Tournament for the third consecutive year after posting a 9-5-3 overall record and 6-1-1 mark in ECC play while putting together an 11-match unbeaten streak during the middle part of the season. Ranked as high as eighth in the East Region by the United Soccer Coaches last season, Daemen finished second in the final ECC regular season standings, the program's highest finish since joining the conference in 2013. Seven Wildcats also earned All-ECC honors with Kylie Miranto (North Tonawanda, N.Y.), Magda Carpenter (Lebanon, Conn.), Madita Zeitz (Malsch, Germany) and Alyssa Diaz (Rochester, N.Y.) named to the first team, Becca Schultz (Grand Island, N.Y.) tabbed to the second team with Brooke Amato (Grand Island, N.Y.) and Nevada Hahn (Lancaster, N.Y.) selected to the third team. The Wildcats also nabbed two major awards with Miranto tabbed the ECC Offensive Player of the Year Carpenter named the conferences rookie of the year.

SCOUTING ROBERTS WESLEYAN (3-2-1, 1-0 ECC)
Tabbed fourth in the ECC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Redhawks defeated Queens College, 3-2, in their ECC opener. Junior Alyssa Hackett currently leads Roberts Wesleyan in both goals (4) and points (10) through six games played. Hackett also currently leads the ECC in shots on goal per game with an average of 2.17. In net, freshman Mia Tyndell has appeared the last three games for the Redhawks, going 2-0-1 in that span while making 10 saves. As a team, Roberts Wesleyan leads the conference in save percentage at .789.

SERIES HISTORY
Roberts Wesleyan leads the all-time series, which dates back to Sept. 22, 2000, 12-10-5. However, Daemen has won two of the last three contests by identical scores of 4-0. In their last meeting on Oct. 18, 2023, the Wildcats and Redhawks played to a 0-0 draw in Rochester, N.Y.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats wrap up their season-opening seven game road trip in Sparkill, N.Y., with a 12 p.m. conference match against St. Thomas Aquinas 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 University women's soccer program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @DaemenWSOC.

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