Geoff Schneider

Men's Soccer Hosts Slippery Rock, Opens ECC Play at Molloy

9/15/2026 3:14:00 PM

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

HOME FOR ONE THEN ON THE ROAD
The Daemen men's soccer team (0-4-2) hosts Slippery Rock on Wednesday before hitting the road for its first ECC game at Molloy on Saturday.

LAST TIME OUT
Daemen tied Salem 1-1 last Saturday. Karim Salome (Logan, Utah) put Daemen ahead 1-0 in the 24th minute with his first career goal. The Tigers tied the game at 1-1 in the 53rd minute. The Wildcats had two chances early on, with Stefan Jankovic (Reykjavík, Iceland) and Sincere Noble (Baltimore, Md.) both having shots saved in the fourth minute. Cristopher Vasquez (Sunnyside, N.Y.) played the full 90 minutes in goal with three saves. Noble finished with a team-leading four shots and two on goal. The Wildcats finished with a 15-12 edge in shots and put eight attempts on goal. Daemen dropped a 6-1 decision to Monroe last Wednesday. Junior Selim Ozleplebici (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) scored his first goal of the season in the contest. Vasquez recorded 10 saves, including eight in the first half, over 75:43. Marco Panunto (Niagara Falls, Ontario) fired a team-leading two shots, putting one on net.

NEW GUYS LEADING THE WAY
Noble scored his second goal of the season at Saint Anselm. The freshman now leads the team in goals (2) and points (4). Junior transfer Afonso Abreu (Leiria, Portugal) has posted a goal and an assist and sits second on the team in points (3).

RETURNING TALENT
Daemen returns a strong veteran presence, with 18 players from last season. Senior midfielder Amin Garcia (Leganes, Spain) scored two goals in 2025, while Tim Florek (Margburg, Germany), Stefan Jankovic (Reykjavik, Iceland), Ozleplebici, and Thomas Wikan (Inderøy, Norway) also found the back of the net. Jonathan Lopez-Leblanc (Centennial, Colo.) registered two assists. Defensively, Niko Elie (Auckland, New Zealand) helped anchor the backline, starting all 14 games he played and logging 1,002 minutes. Senior Nolan Smith (Ridgeway, Ontario) and junior Sam Mann (Buffalo, N.Y.) also contributed key minutes in the back. In goal, Vasquez and Colin Hockridge (Scarborough, Ontario) both saw limited action last season. Vasquez made a season-high five saves in a game against Lock Haven while Hockridge logged a season-best four stops at the University of the District of Columbia.

FRESH FACES
The Wildcats welcomed nine new players to the squad for this fall, including four freshmen and five transfer players. The newcomers hail from five states and two countries and include five defenders, two forwards, one midfielder, and one goalkeeper.

SCOUTING SLIPPERY ROCK (1-1-2)
The Rock tied Roberts Wesleyan 1-1 last Wednesday after defeating the University of the District of Columbia 4-1 on Sept. 5 for its first win of the season. SRU is led by Kaden Reynolds, who has five points with two goals and one assist. Caleb Alldredge, Dylan Greggs, and Boeie Zwartele have also scored for The Rock. Troy None has started all four games in goal, posting a 1-1-2 record, a 0.75 goals-against average, and an .813 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY
Slippery Rock leads the series with a 5-1 record. Last season, The Rock earned a 2-0 win on its home field. The teams met during the 2023 season when The Rock earned a 5-2 win on their home field. Daemen won the previous meeting in 2022 with a 1-0 victory in Amherst.

SCOUTING MOLLOY (1-1-2)
The Lions tied Adelphi 0-0 last Saturday after tying Holy Family 1-1 last Tuesday. Jack Veletanga leads the squad with three points by a goal and an assist. Cesar Chavez and Sean Lee have also scored. Goalie Callum Hunt has started three games, logging a 1-1-1 record, a .833 save percentage, and a 0.67 goals-against average.

SERIES HISTORY
Molloy leads the all-time series, 10-2, and has won six of the last seven meetings. Last year, the Lions earned a 3-0 win in Amherst.

UP NEXT
Daemen makes the short trip next Wednesday (Sept. 19) to Western New York rival Roberts Wesleyan in an ECC clash at 7 p.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.

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