MEN'S SOCCER EARNS #4 SEED IN ECC CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 3-0 SHUTOUT
Box Score DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Nov. 3, 2013) – The Mercy College men's soccer team earned the #4 seed in the East Coast Conference Championship for the second consecutive year with a 3-0 shutout victory over Roberts Wesleyan College in the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon.
Mercy will carry an 11-3-4 overall record into the postseason and, with a 5-2-3 mark in ECC play, eliminate NYIT from the field via head-to-head tiebreaker going back to the rivals' conference-opening matchup, a 3-0 Mavericks victory, on Sept. 18. Roberts Wesleyan ends the season at 4-11-2 (2-7-1).
Junior Danny Leon Jr. (Flushing, N.Y. / Benjamin Cardozo) scored early to knock the Redhawks back on their heels. The Mavericks added another quick strike just after halftime and a late insurance goal, with junior Jonathan Garcia (Falls Church, Va. / ASA College) notching both goals.
Senior Nick Papas (Castleton, N.Y. / Hudson Valley CC) posted his 15th career shutout in the victory, tying him for the all-time program record.
Mercy started out with the 1-0 lead at the three-minute mark as Leon Jr. slipped behind the defense to run onto a through ball from freshman Michael Ledesma (Miami Beach, Fla. / Miami Beach Senior) and slid it under the goalkeeper from a tight angle on the left side of the net.
The Mavericks kept the pressure on after taking the lead, ripping seven more shots and forcing three saves before Papas was finally tested. The Mavericks nearly made it a two-goal margin heading into halftime when a cross from the left side found sophomore William Sandoval (Port Washington, N.Y.) along on the right side of the six-yard box, but his one-time volley was stopped by sophomore goalkeeper Florian Witte, who found himself tangled in the net as he just managed to keep the entire ball from crossing the goal line.
The Mavericks got their second goal less than a minute into the second half, however, as junior Chuong Tran (West Nyack, N.Y. / Rockland CC) sent a through ball up the left side to sophomore Jurica Bilic-Prcic (Irvington, N.Y. / Talladega), who one-timed it into the center where Garcia was waiting to slot it into the net for the 2-0 lead.
Roberts Wesleyan nearly pulled one back in the 61st minute as freshman Taiwo Aderounmu got free on a breakaway up the right side and launched a shot at Papas, but the veteran stopper handled it calmly and the Mavericks maintained their two-goal margin.
Garcia nearly got his second in the 67th minute as his ambitious 30-yard strike hit the post, and had another chance on a rebound cleared off the line by a defender in the 74th minute after Witte had made an impressive save on Ledesma's point-blank shot. He finally completed his brace in the 81st minute, sending a powerful header past the keeper on a 50-yard free kick by senior Luis Perez (Jackson Heights, N.Y. / Monroe College) to seal the victory.
Mercy will head to top-seeded No. 15 LIU Post (15-1-2, 8-0-2) on Wednesday, Nov. 6 in a rematch of last year's semifinal matchup. Head Coach Chris Smith's squad picked up a 2-2 tie against the Pioneers, at the time ranked No. 1 in the nation, just last week and have jumped out to an early lead in each of the last three matches between the rivals. Check back at www.MercyAthletics.com and follow us on Twitter: @MercyMavericks for all your information leading up to the match.
