Men's Soccer Hosts ECC Rival Molloy Today at 3 p.m.
Box Score DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 18, 2013) – The Mercy College men's soccer team will host East Coast Conference rival Molloy College tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 19 at 3 p.m.
The Mavericks have been ranked No. 5 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Continental Tire Division II Men's Poll and are currently fourth in the ECC standings.
Molloy came away with the win in last year's matchup, edging out Mercy, 4-3, in overtime in Rockville Centre, N.Y. as both teams opened their conference slate. Junior Danny Leon Jr. (Flushing, N.Y. / Benjamin Cardozo) opened the scoring to give Mercy a 1-0 lead at the 23-minute mark. Molloy's Mario Gagliano and Jovani Ramos put Molloy ahead with a pair of strikes less than three minutes apart, with Ramos also assisting on Gagliano's game-tying strike. Senior Ransmond Aboagye (Bronx, N.Y. / Boro of Manhattan CC) brought Mercy back level with Molloy only three minutes later on a cross by senior Mustaffa Alobeidy (Bronx, N.Y. / Richard Stockton College). The Mavericks regained the lead in the 69th minute when All-East Region selection William Koki broke past the defense and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner. Unfortunately for Mercy, Molloy tied the match in the 75th minute as Mathias Coni ran onto a through ball from Tom Garcia and the Lions went on to score the golden goal just over two minutes into overtime, when Tyler De La Torre tapped in a cross by Dan Brown.
The Lions (4-7-2 overall) have struggled lately after opening their conference slate with a pair of road wins at Roberts Wesleyan College and Daemen College, since tying twice and losing three games to fall to 2-3-2 in ECC play. In recent non-conference action, Molloy has beaten Holy Family University, 1-0, but fallen, 3-1, at Caldwell College, a matchup which Mercy won, 2-1, just two days prior. The Lions most recently attempted to knock off No. 1 LIU Post, going ahead in the opening minute before bowing out, 2-1, on a pair of late goals by Division II-leading scorer Eivind Austboe. On the season, Brown – Molloy's only All-ECC selection last year as a Second Teamer – and Gagliano lead the Lions with six points apiece, while Justin Corke has posted a 1.49 goals against average on a .761 save percentage in net.
Mercy's record stands at 8-3-1 overall and 3-2 in ECC play after a recent 2-0 victory over Queens College. Currently just out of the postseason picture in sixth place in the ECC standings, the Mavericks are still ranked higher in the NSCAA East Region Poll than all but one ECC team with games remaining against four of the bottom five teams in the conference. The Mavericks have posted a 23:12 goal ratio this season, with sophomore Christian Diaz (Watsonville, Calif. / Univ. of Vermont) still leading the team with 15 points on six goals and three assists despite missing four games due to injury. Leon and junior Roberto Dashi (Nyack, N.Y. / Clarkstown South) have each totaled 10 points, with Leon notching a team-high three game-winning goals. Senior Nick Papas (Castleton, N.Y. / Hudson Valley CC) has recorded a 0.97 goals against average while leading the ECC in save percentage (.831) between the posts.
Head Coach Chris Smith and the Mavericks will host Molloy on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 3 p.m. The Mercy Student Government Association will be selling "Fill the Hill" t-shirts for $10 as part of their first home event in conjunction with the Mercy College Department of Athletics and Recreation, and the game will also be a celebration of the ECC's "Pink" Week initiative.
