Diaz Collects Rookie of the Week Honors For Second Time

11/8/2021 2:30:00 PM

By: By Joe Kraus, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

AMHERST, N.Y. – Alyssa Diaz (Rochester, N.Y.) of Daemen College has been named the East Coast Conference Women's Soccer Rookie of the Week for games played November 2-6. The announcement of award winners was made via the league's weekly sport report which was released this afternoon.

The 5-foot-2 freshman defender played a key role in Daemen's 2-1 Senior Day comeback victory over Queens this past Saturday. The win helped the Wildcats finish ECC regular season play with a 7-1-1 record (9-5-1 overall) and lock up the number three seed in the upcoming ECC Championship Tournament.

With Daemen trailing 1-0 to the Knights at the halftime, Diaz took control of the game by scoring two goals in just over a three-minute span to complete the victory. Receiving passes from junior forward Faye Panagopoulos (Kenmore, N.Y.) on both scoring plays, Diaz drilled the equalizer in the 66th minute and then scored the go-ahead goal in the 69th minute. Diaz also led all Daemen players with two shots on goal in the victory.

Diaz previously joined fellow classmate Baylin Tighe (Tonawanda, N.Y.) as the only other Daemen player to earn ECC Rookie of the Week honors this season for games played October 11-17 following a three-point performance in a 2-2 draw at Bridgeport (Oct. 16.)

With the two-goal effort against the Knights, Diaz has now totaled six goals and 16 points this season. She ranks in the top five for both categories among the ECC leaders, and has the most goals and points for a Daemen freshman since Jamie Boyar netted six goals and recorded 16 points in 2016.

Diaz is also the first Wildcat to earn ECC Rookie of the Week honors since former player Alyssa Mercado won three times in the 2019 season – still a program record.

Daemen, as the No. 3 seed, returns to action Thursday, November 11 when they visit the No. 2 seed, the Mercy Mavericks in the ECC Championship semifinals with kickoff set for noon.

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 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 College women's soccer program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @DaemenWSOC.

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