GAME NINE - Daemen at No. 23 Mercy | Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. | Mercy Field | March 29 | 11 a.m.
IMPORTANT LINKS: Watch | Live Stats
DAEMEN LINKS: Roster | Schedule | Stats
MERCY LINKS: Roster | Schedule | Stats

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RANKED TEST
The Daemen University women's lacrosse team will head back downstate to Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., to face No. 23 Mercy on March 29 at 11 a.m. This will be the Wildcats seventh game in program history against a ranked team and the third time that Mercy will be ranked when Daemen faces them. 

WEEKLY WINNERS
Sophomore attacker Shannen Calandra (Rome, N.Y.) was tabbed the ECC Co-Offensive Player of the Week alongside Kadie Tierney of Roberts Wesleyan and freshman midfielder/goalkeeper Marianna Szamoskozi (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) was named the ECC Rookie of the Week, the league office announced Monday afternoon. For Calandra, it is the second weekly award she has earned in her career and first this season while for Szamoskozi, it is the first time she has collected any weekly honor from the conference. Calandra and Szamoskozi are the first pair of Wildcats to win weekly awards in the same week since Dana Bacher was named the leagues rookie of the week and Casey Decatur was the ECC Offensive Player of the Week for the week of March 27, 2023. Across two games this past week, Calandra notched 10 points on five goals and five assists to go with three ground balls and four draw controls. The Daemen sophomore attacker exploded for nine points on four goals and five assists in the Wildcasts 24-3 ECC win over St. Thomas Aquinas (March 22). Calandra's nine points tied Decatur for the program record for goals in a game and are a career-high for the sophomore attacker as well. As for Szamoskozi, she began the week as a field player as she snagged one ground ball against Saint Anselm on Thursday night. Two days later, the Canadian international suited up as Daemen's 'emergency' goalkeeper and made her first collegiate start against ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas. The freshman utility player made five saves while only allowing three goals for a .625 save percentage with three ground balls to pick up her first collegiate win in net.

BY THE NUMBERS
The Wildcats set or tied multiple program record during their 24-3 win against St. Thomas Aquinas on March 22. Their 24-3 victory was the largest win in program history (+21 goal differential) while their 24 scores set the new mark for the most goals in a single game in program history. On offense, Calandra's nine points tied Casey Decatur for the program record for goals in a game and are a career-high for the sophomore attacker as well. Finally, the defense allowed zero goals from the Spartans in the second and fourth quarters which marked the fourth time in program history that the Wildcats held a Division II outfit to zero goals across multiple quarters. 

WIN NO. 1
Head women's lacrosse coach Emily Bitka picked up her first collegiate win as Daemen defeated Lake Erie, 15-2, back on Feb. 28 at home. Senior midfielder Camryn Day (Hamburg, N.Y.) paced the Daemen offense with four goals and two assists for six total points. Also helping the Daemen attack was sophomore attacker Shannen Calandra (Rome, N.Y.) who matched Day's six points with a season-high four assists and two goals. Senior midfielder Katelynn Deveans (Buffalo, N.Y.) tallied two goals for three total points along with a team-high two ground balls. Additionally, junior midfielder Ella Bouley (Auburn, N.Y.) and freshman attacker Adison Pollutro (West Seneca, N.Y.) added two points each with a goal and an assist. Daemen never trailed the entire contest and did not allow a single first half goal to the Storm as well. Overall, Daemen outshot Lake Erie, 33-13, and held a 12-7 edge in draw controls.

A LOOK AT THE POLLS
Daemen University was tabbed fifth in the 2025 East Coast Conference Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll following a vote of the leagues seven coaches. Roberts Wesleyan, the defending ECC Tournament and regular season champions, topped the poll with 49 points and secured all seven first-place votes. Mercy landed in second place with 42 points and Molloy rounded out the top three with 34 points of their own. D'Youville was tabbed fourth with 29 points with Daemen close behind in fifth with 21 points. St. Thomas Aquinas (14 points) and District of Columbia (7 points) rounded out the remainder of the poll. The ECC Women's Lacrosse Championship semifinal is slated for May 1 and the final set for three days later on May 4 with the top four teams qualifying for the postseason.

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SCOUTING NO. 23 MERCY (4-4, 0-0 ECC)
The Mavericks eeked out a 13-11 win over CACC member Jefferson on March 26 behind four goals from Ashlinn Kelly. The freshman midfielder currently ranks second on the squad for goals (17) and points (21) behind senior attacker Leah Hansen with her 20 goals and 25 total points. Anchoring the defense has been 2025 ECC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Lindsey Shimborske who leads Mercy in both ground balls (31) and caused turnovers (20). In net, junior Olivia LaMonica has started all eight games for Mercy and amassed 64 total saves. All four of the Mavericks losses this year have come to nationally ranked teams as well. 

SERIES HISTORY
Mercy is 2-0 all-time against Daemen. 

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UP NEXT
Daemen continues ECC play with a trip to our nations capital to face the University of the District of Columbia. Opening draw is set for noon on April 5. 

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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.
 
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