Men's Soccer | 9/4/2024 2:00:00 PM

Match 1: Daemen vs Malone | Sept. 5 | 4 p.m. | Karrer Field | Amherst, N.Y.
Live Stream and Links: ECC Network | Live Stats
Daemen Links: Roster | Schedule | Stats
Malone Links: Roster | Schedule | Stats
 
Match 2: Davemen vs Walsh | Sept. 7 | 12 p.m. | Karrer Field | Amherst, N.Y.
Live Stream and Links: ECC Network | Live Stats
Daemen Links: Roster | Schedule | Stats
Walsh Links: Roster | Schedule | Stats

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A NEW SEASON
The Daemen University men's soccer team kicks-off their 2024 campaign at home on Thursday as they face Malone University at 4 p.m. The Wildcats continue their season opening home stand two days later on Sept. 7 with a 12 p.m. tilt against Walsh University on Alumni Appreciation Day. Last year, Daemen went 3-11-1 overall with a 2-6 ledger in ECC play. As for their opponents, Malone compiled a record of 2-13-2 (1-11-2 GMAC) while Walsh went 8-6-4 (6-5-3 GMAC).

KEY RETURNERS
Entering the 2024 campaign, four of the Wildcats top five scorers from last season are back on the pitch. Senior midfielder Ryan Baitche (Thionville, France) and Dennis Montero Guerro (Weingarten, Germany), who both finished last year tied for the second-most goals on the team with three, return to the Wildcats lineup. On the defensive half of the ball, Bahamas National Team selection Jean Tilo (Port-au-Prince, Haiti),  Sujan Rajamohan (Spencerport, N.Y.) and Juan Tejeda-Moreno (Chico, Calif.) all return to Daemen. 

HOME COOKING
Daemen begins the 2024 campaign with three of their first four games being played at home in Amherst, N.Y. The Wildcats lone road contest comes on Sept. 11 when they travel to Lock Haven, Pa., to face Lock Haven. The last time the Wildcats opened the year with three or more home games during their first five matches was during the 2022 campaign when the Wildcats began the year with four consecutive home matches, going 2-1-1 in that span.

BETWEEN THE STICKS
The 2024 roster features two goaltenders. Senior Arturo Bustamante (South Gate, Calif.) is back for his second season in the Blue and White. A transfer from Rio Hondo College, he started five games last fall and earned two wins against Malone University and the College of Staten Island. Freshman keeper Colin Hockridge (Scarborough, Ont.), one of 11 newcomers on the roster, joins the team after playing his high school soccer at Sir John A. MacDonald Collegiate Institute. 

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SCOUTING MALONE
The Pioneers are coming off a 2023 season where they went 2-13-2 overall and 1-11-2 in GMAC action. Gavin Csiszar, the Pioneers top scorer from last year, is back for the Pioneers after he concluded the 2023 season with a career-high 10 goals and 22 total points, both of which served as team highs. Griffin Owen is back in net for Malone after making 10 starts during his freshman campaign while earning two wins along the way. The Pioneers also put up a season-high 22 shots against Daemen last year in their 3-1 loss.

SERIES HISTORY:
Daemen holds a slim 4-3 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to 2009, and has won the last three contests. At home, the Wildcats are 1-2 against the Pioneers with the first meeting in Amherst, N.Y., coming on Oct. 3, 2009. 

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SCOUTING WALSH:
Picked sixth in the GMAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll, Walsh welcomes back both of their top offensive options with 2023 GMAC First-Team selection Lewis Matton and Bobby Moore who each led the Cavs with nine and seven goals respectively. In between the sticks, Charlie Walker returns for Walsh after starting all 18 matches last season and earning eight wins.

SERIES HISTORY:
Walsh leads the all-time series, which dates to 2011, 6-1-1 and has won four of the last five matches.

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UP NEXT:
Daemen is back in action on Sept. 11 at 3 p.m. with a road tilt at Lock Haven before returning home to play Saint Michaels's at home on Sept. 15 at 11 a.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.