James P. McCoy

Daemen Opens ECC Play at Molloy Saturday, Travels to AIC Tuesday

9/18/2026 10:00:00 AM

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

BACK ON THE ROAD
The Daemen women's soccer team (1-4-1) continues its four-game road trip. The Wildcats begin ECC action at Molloy on Saturday, then travel to American International College for a non-conference tilt on Tuesday.

LAST TIME OUT
Daemen dropped two non-conference games against tough opponents last weekend. The Wildcats fell 2-0 to Saint Anselm last Friday despite a strong performance from goalie Rylee Kumer (Ambridge, Pa.), who made a career-high 12 saves. Kumer stopped seven shots in the first half, with her first coming in the eighth minute. Zainab Khalid (Penfield, N.Y.) had a chance for Daemen in the 56th minute when she fired a shot that missed wide right. Kaitlin Mettler (Royalton, N.Y.) took a shot in the 89th minute that got blocked but led to a Daemen corner kick. However, the Wildcats could not capitalize. On Sunday, Daemen fell 6-2 at #17 Bentley. Mia Wright (Liverpool, N.Y.) and Chloé Cardone (Hilton, N.Y.) both scored for the Wildcats. Wright scored her first career goal, while Cardone netted her fourth. Kumer made 11 saves in goal.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Wright and Kumer earned spots on the ECC Weekly Honor Roll. Wright scored her first career goal on Sunday against #17 Bentley. She put the Wildcats up 1-0 in the 10th minute, intercepting a pass and scoring. Kumer made a career-best 12 saves against Saint Anselm on Friday. The keeper topped her previous high of 11 set with Mercyhurst. She stopped seven shots in the first half and five in the second. The junior then logged 11 saves against #17 Bentley last Sunday.

CAREER FIRSTS
Several Wildcats have logged their first career goals this season. Freshmen Aliyah Hien (Kenmore, Wash.), Bridey McKenzie (Amherst, N.Y.), and Khalid scored their first career goals in the victory over Post on Sept. 4. Wright netted her first career goal against #17 Bentley.

MAKING THE SAVES
Kumer has made 41 saves thus far, leading the ECC and ranking tied for sixth in the nation. The junior is averaging 6.83 saves per game. She made a career-high 12 saves against Saint Anselm and logged 11 saves at #17 Mercy. Kumer stopped five shots against Tiffin and two in the win over Post. She also made eight stops in the season opener against Malone.

SCHEDULE OUTLOOK
The Wildcats will play 16 games this season, including eight at home and eight on the road. Daemen begins the year with four straight contests at Royal Park. Following this weekend, the Wildcats open ECC action on Sept. 19 with a road contest at Molloy. Following Tuesday's game, the Wildcats return to Royal Park on Saturday, Sept. 26, for their first home conference game against Mercy. Daemen then hosts rival D'Youville on Sept. 30 before heading to CSI on Oct. 3 and Roberts Wesleyan on Oct. 7.

SCOUTING MOLLOY (2-4-1, 0-0 ECC)
The Lions are coming off a 2-0 loss at #20 Franklin Pierce on Wednesday after falling 4-1 at Georgian Court last Saturday. Bella Juliano and Isabella Muro share the team lead in points (9) with three goals and three assists. Yasabelle Perillo has scored three goals and notched one assist for seven points, while Marissa Tonic has a goal and two assists. Goalie Elyse Muñoz has started all seven games, logging a 2-4-1 record, a 1.71 goals-against average, and a .745 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will be the 15th all-time meeting between the two sides. Molloy leads the series, which dates back to the 2013 campaign, 10-4. Last season, the teams met in Amherst, with the Lions winning 2-1. Molloy ended the Wildcats' season in the ECC Championship in 2024, taking the conference title with a 4-1 win. The Lions also won the 2024 regular-season meeting by a 1-0 margin.

SCOUTING AIC (3-2, 0-0 NE10)
The Yellowjackets are coming off a 2-0 loss at home to D'Youville on Wednesday after defeating Maine Fort-Kent 3-1 last Saturday. AIC will play Bentley on Friday before taking on the Wildcats. Liz Braz leads the Yellowjackets in goals (2) and points (5), having also tallied one assist. Jocelyn Wilson has logged a goal and an assist. Izzy Eaton, Zoey Cardano, and Emali Goulas have also scored. Goalie Sara Avery has started all five games, posting a 2-2 record, a .882 save percentage, and a 0.67 goals-against average.

SERIES HISTORY
The two sides have met three times, with the Wildcats holding a 1-2 record. Last year, Daemen defeated American International 3-2 at Royal Park. The Yellowjackets won 1-0 in Springfield, Mass., in 2024, and 2-1 in Amherst during the 2023 campaign.

UP NEXT
Daemen is back home next Saturday (Sept. 26), hosting Mercy in its first home ECC match 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 women's soccer program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @DaemenWSOC.

Print Friendly Version