DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (July 12, 2019) – For the fifth year in a row, Mercy College Athletics will recap the year by counting down the Top-10 most memorable moments of the 2018-19 season, with all 10 sports represented.
Mercy College Athletics will release a Top-10 moment, as chosen by the athletics staff, with a recap every Monday and Friday for the next five weeks, culminating with the top moment from the 2018-19 athletic year being unveiled on Friday, July 26th.
No. 5 – Field Hockey Wins ECC Tournament Championship
Coming in at No. 5 in our countdown of the Top-10 Moments from 2018-19 is field hockey who won the ECC Tournament Championship.
The Mavericks opened the 2018 season with seven newcomers under first-year Head Coach Morgan O'Donohue. Mercy began their season on August 31st when they hosted No. 8 Kutztown with senior Julia Amell making six saves and junior Rebecca Podskoch making two defensive saves in a 3-0 setback.
A 2-1 overtime loss to St. Thomas Aquinas on September 5th dropped the Mavericks to 0-2 with senior Alicia Williams scoring the lone Mercy goal. The following week senior Cheradyn Pettit made ten saves as the Mavericks faced No. 8 Pace on September 12th.
Mercy regrouped and picked up their first win of the season on September 15th with a 2-1 victory over American International. Senior Kayly Bryan scored the game-winning goal in the 52nd minute, off an assist from senior Angela Robbins, to move Mercy to 1-3 on the year. The victory gave O'Donohue her first collegiate coaching win.
Pettit made seven more saves at Adelphi on September 18th, but the Mavericks dropped a 3-0 decision to the Panthers. Mercy resumed action on September 21st when they played at Bellarmine and would drop a narrow 1-0 decision to drop to 1-5 on the season.
The next day the Mavericks played at No. 9 Lindenwood and sophomore Kellie Znaniecki scored, but it was not enough as Mercy suffered a 3-1 defeat. The Mavericks hosted Molloy on September 27th and Williams and Robbins recorded two shots on goal but the Lions came away with a 2-0 win.
Mercy opened the month of October with a 3-2 loss to New Haven on October 2nd despite Williams scoring two goals. The loss dropped the Mavericks to 1-8 on the year.
The season looked to be over for Mercy sitting at 1-8, but the Mavericks continued to battle and got back to their winning ways against St. Thomas Aquinas on October 10th. Williams scored the game-winning goal in overtime and Pettit made nine saves to lead Mercy to a 3-2 win over the Spartans.
The Mavericks continued to play better and dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision to Newberry on October 11th. Two days later the hard work paid off as Mercy came away with a 1-0 win over Bellarmine on Senior Day. Robbins scored the game-winning goal in overtime off an assist from Williams.
Mercy made it two wins in a row on October 17th when Williams tallied two more goals to lead the Mavericks to a 3-1 win over Molloy. Following the win, Pettit was named to the Synapse Sports Player of the Week Honor Roll after going 2-1 with a .929 save percentage and 13 saves.
The Mavericks hosted No. 10 Lindenwood in their final home game of the year on October 22nd. Robbins scored and freshman Lauren Viscione and Pettit both made five saves, but it was not enough as the Lions emerged with a 4-1 win.
Mercy faced No. 7 Millersville on October 25th. Junior Sabrina Anderson scored in the contest, but Millersville came away with a 3-1 win. The Mavericks concluded their regular season with a 2-0 loss to Newberry on October 28th.
Mercy sat at 4-12 at the end of the regular season and secured the No. 2 seed in the ECC season-ending tournament. The Mavericks would host No. 3 seed St. Thomas Aquinas in the three-team tournament on November 1st in a Semifinal matchup.
The Mavericks and Spartans were scoreless until the 12th minute of action when sophomore Brooke Anthony scored her first goal of the season, off an assist from Robbins, following a corner which gave Mercy a 1-0 lead. It remained 1-0 until the final minute of play when freshman Briannagh Smith scored her first collegiate goal to give Mercy a 2-0 lead. Amell and Pettit combined for seven saves to post a shutout, leading the Mavericks to the ECC Championship Game against Molloy.
The ECC Championship Game was held on November 2nd at Cedar Creek Park in Seaford. The score remained 0-0 until the 25th minute when Podskoch scored on a penalty stroke for her first career goal. The goal would hold up for the Mavericks as Amell made one save in the first half and Pettit made four saves in the second half to give Mercy a 1-0 victory over the Lions to secure the ECC Tournament Championship for the first time. The win gave the Mavericks a 6-12 record on the year, falling one win shy of the school record. After starting the season 1-8, Mercy ended the year going 5-4 in their final nine games.
The Mavericks did not just thrive on the field but also in the classroom. The team earned Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division II National Academic Team Award after posting above a 3.0 team GPA during the Fall Semester of the 2018-19 academic year. Mercy was one of 30 Division II programs that earned the award.
Field Hockey also had 12 student-athletes named to the Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad for having above a 3.30 cumulative GPA through the first semester of the 2018-19 academic year. Amell, Anderson, Tabatha Aponte, Catherine Brudi, Bryan, Haley Jandris, Samantha Lorenc, Pettit, Podskoch, Smith, Marissa Spinazzola and Williams took home the honor.
Mercy also had two student-athletes named Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division II Scholars of Distinction for having a cumulative GPA of 3.9 or higher through the first semester of the 2018-19 academic year. Anderson and Podskoch both received the honor in their junior year.
The 2018 season was a successful one for the Mavericks and Mercy looks to build upon the success in 2019 in their first season as members of the NE-10.
Schedule for the Top-10 Moments of the 2018-19 Season
Every Monday and Friday for the next five weeks, the Mercy College Athletics Department will release the Top-10 moments one at a time beginning with the No. 10 moment on Monday, June 24th. The No. 1 moment will be unveiled on Friday, July 26th.
No. 1 – July 26
No. 2 – July 22
No. 3 – July 19
No. 4 – July 15
No. 5 – July 12
No. 6 – Volleyball Wins Most Matches Since 2005
No. 7 – Baseball Posts Back-to-Back 21 Win Seasons for First Time in Program History
No. 8 – Softball Records Fourth Straight Season of 20 or More Wins
No. 9 – Bryan Griffin Named First Team All-Met and First Team All-ECC
No. 10 – Amber Brown Named First Team All-Met and Second Team All-ECC
