Daemen Travels to Lake Erie for Season Opener Thursday

2/18/2026 10:00:00 AM

By: CONTACT: Connor Griffin, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications | cgriffin@daemen.edu

NEW SEASON ON THE HORIZON
The Daemen women's lacrosse team begins the 2026 season on the road Thursday, traveling to Ohio to play Lake Erie at 6 p.m. The Wildcats enter the season under second-year head coach Emily Bitka, who helped guide the team to a 5-11 record in 2025, including a 3-3 East Coast Conference mark. Daemen qualified for the ECC tournament for the first time in program history. Daemen returns 18 players from last season and welcomed six new players to the squad, with five freshmen and one junior.

PRESEASON POLL
The Wildcats were picked fourth in this year's ECC preseason poll. Mercy was selected first in the poll with 45 points and four first-place votes, followed by defending champion Molloy with 44 points and three first-place votes. Roberts Wesleyan followed with 35 points, then Daemen with 28 points, and D'Youville with 23 points. St. Thomas Aquinas (14 points) and the University of the District of Columbia (7 points) concluded the poll.

LAST SEASON RECAP
Daemen finished 5-11 in 2025, including a 3-3 record in conference play. The Wildcats earned non-conference wins over Lake Erie and Findlay. During ECC play, Daemen defeated St. Thomas Aquinas, the University of the District of Columbia, and D'Youville. The win over the Saints was the Wildcats' first in program history over their crosstown rival. Daemen qualified for the ECC tournament for the first time in program history, falling to the No. 1 seed Mercy in the semifinals.

RETURNING OFFENSIVE POWER
The Wildcats return their top goal scorer from the 2025 campaign, Ella Bouley (Auburn, N.Y.), who was named First Team All-ECC after scoring 25 goals and providing nine assists for a team-high 34 points. Bouley also ranked second on the team in draw controls (42), forced 16 turnovers, and collected 27 ground balls. Daemen's top point leader, Shannen Calandra (Rome, N.Y.), also returns. Calandra tallied 43 points, recording 15 goals and a team-leading 28 assists, which ranked fourth in the ECC. Avery Castner (Penn Yan, N.Y.) contributed 28 points in 2025, finishing third on the squad in goals (20) and adding eight assists.

STRONG DEFENSIVE PRESENCE
On the defensive side, Jenna Havert (Newark, N.Y.) finished tied for the team lead in caused turnovers (20) and was second in ground balls (32), collecting Second Team All-ECC honors in 2025. She was tied for eighth in the conference in caused turnovers per game (1.25). Kylie Miranto (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) caused 16 turnovers and picked up 16 ground balls. Sophomore goalie Molly Evans (Fulton, N.Y.) played in 14 games, making 13 starts and logging a 14.53 goals-against average while making 113 saves.

IN THE RANKINGS
Last season, Daemen led the conference in caused turnovers per game (9.69) and ranked third in ground balls per game (17.31). The Wildcats also led the conference in women-up goals (39) and women-up goals per game (2.44). Additionally, Daemen was fourth in assists per game (5.56).

SCOUTING LAKE ERIE (0-1, 0-0 G-MAC)
The Storm opened their season with a trip to Tennessee last Saturday, falling 18-6 to Lincoln Memorial. Last season, Lake Erie posted a 2-15 record, including a 1-7 mark in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Brooke McNeal led the team in goals (49) and points (60) last season and scored three goals in LEC's season opener. Reese Friesen tallied a team-leading 19 assists last season, finishing third on the squad in points (36). Defensively, McNeal also finished second in caused turnovers (20) and ground balls (37). Isabell Morales caused 16 turnovers and scooped up 35 ground balls last year. Avery Artino saw the most time between the pipes last season, posting a 1-7 record, a 16.92 goals-against average, and a .309 save percentage. She started last Saturday before being relieved by Bethany Kirkwood.

SERIES HISTORY
Daemen is 2-0 all-time against the Storm. Last season, the Wildcats earned a 15-2 win on their home field. The teams' inaugural meeting was in 2023, with Daemen earning a 14-10 road win.

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 program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWLAX.

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