DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (May 7, 2020) - For the sixth year in a row, Mercy College Athletics will recap the year by counting down the Top-10 most memorable moments of the 2019-20 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 Thursday for the next ten weeks, culminating with the top moment from the 2019-20 athletic year being unveiled on Thursday, June 11th.
No. 6 – Field Hockey Defeats 2018 Final Four Participant Pace
Coming in at No. 6 in our 2019-20 Top-10 Moments is field hockey who defeated 2018 NCAA Final Four participant Pace at Mercy Field on September 17th.
Mercy entered their first season as a member of the NE10 picked 13th in the NE10 Coaches' Poll. Head Coach Morgan O'Donohue entered the season with seven newcomers and the Mavericks opened their 2019 season on September 8th against Lindenwood. Mercy dropped a narrow 2-1 decision and freshman Katie Kreider scored in her debut. Following the game sophomore Lauren Viscione was named to the NE10 Honor Roll after posting 16 saves.
In their first NE10 game in program history on September 11th, the Mavericks battled with New Haven before falling 2-1. Freshman Alyssa Sacco scored her first collegiate goal in the game. Mercy then headed up to Southern New Hampshire where they faced the Penmen on September 13th. Senior Sabrina Anderson scored and Viscione made 19 saves as the Mavericks fell to the Penmen.
Mercy entered their matchup with Pace at 0-3 and the Setters entered at 0-2. Pace made the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and advanced to the Final Four for the first time in program history.
The opening quarter saw the Setters hold an 8-3 edge in shots, but Viscione made six saves in the period to keep the game scoreless after one quarter of play.
Viscione made two more stops in the second quarter to keep Pace off the board and the teams headed into halftime tied at 0-0.
The Mavericks got on the board quick in the third quarter, scoring in the 32nd minute to take a 1-0 lead. Junior Brooke Anthony took a penalty corner and sophomore Briannagh Smith took a shot from just inside the circle that was deflected in by freshman Lily Sherry to give Mercy the lead. Smith came right back with another shot but Grace Henderson made the save for Pace to keep the game at 1-0 after three quarters.
The fourth quarter saw Pace hold a 7-2 edge in shots, but Viscione made six more saves and Podskoch added a defensive save to give the Mavericks the shutout win.
Mercy earned their first-ever NE10 win despite Pace holding a 23-7 edge in shots and an 18-7 edge in penalty corners.
The Mavericks then faced Assumption in their CODA Awareness Game on September 20th with senior Rebecca Podskoch scoring and Viscione making 16 saves. Following the Pace and Assumption games, Viscione was named to the NE10 Honor Roll for the second time.
O'Donohue and the Mavericks got back in the win column on September 25th when sophomore Savanna James scored the game-winning goal with 19 seconds left in regulation to lead Mercy to a 2-1 win over Molloy. Following the game, Viscione was named to the Synapse Sports Player of the Week Honor Roll.
Mercy opened up the month of October with a road game at American International. Podskoch scored and Viscione made eight saves, but the Mavericks fell to the Yellow Jackets.
The Mavericks picked up their third win of the season on October 9th when junior Nicole Cotton scored the game-winning goal in overtime off an assist from Podskoch to give Mercy a 2-1 win over Southern Connecticut State.
Mercy then faced off with Franklin Pierce on October 12th before hosting No. 6 Adelphi on October 15th. The Mavericks battled the nationally-ranked Panthers before falling 2-0 in their Making Strides Versus Cancer matchup.
The Mavericks would then face St. Thomas Aquinas on October 19th, No. 5 Saint Anselm on October 23rd, Saint Michael's on October 26th, Bentley on October 29th and Stonehill on November 1st.
A matchup with Frostburg State on November 3rd was the Mavericks Senior Day game. Mercy recognized seniors Samantha Lorenc, Haley Jandris, Anderson, Catherine Brudi, Kaylee Organista and Podskoch prior to the game.
Anthony scored two goals and Brudi assisted on both goals to lead the Mavericks to a 2-0 win over the Bobcats. Brudi also set a new school record for games played with 71. Mercy ended their season on a high note and finished with four wins overall and three wins in their inaugural NE10 season, just missing out on a NE10 Tournament berth.
The awards began to pile up for the team after the season. Sacco was named to the NE10 Field Hockey All-Rookie Team after starting all 16 games with a team-high nine points on a team-high-tying three goals and three assists. 17 members of the team were named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll and Anderson and Podskoch were named to the NE10 Academic All-Conference Team. The team also earned the 2019 Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division II National Academic Team Award and had 15 student-athletes named to the NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad. Podskoch and Sacco were also named NFHCA Division II Scholars of Distinction and Podskoch and Organista were named student speakers for the 2020 Mercy College Commencement Ceremonies. The team was also ranked No. 8 in Division II among field hockey teams in community service working with the organization Friends of Jaclyn to welcome Jelien Ramos to the team.
There were several bright spots during the 2019 season for the field hockey team and they will look to battle for an NE10 Tournament berth in 2020.
Schedule for the Top-10 Moments of the 2019-20 Season
Every Thursday for the next ten weeks, the Mercy College Athletics Department will release the Top-10 moments one at a time beginning with the No. 10 moment on Thursday, April 9th. The No. 1 moment will be unveiled on Thursday, June 11th.
No. 1 – June 11th
No. 2 – June 4th
No. 3 – May 28th
No. 4 – May 21st
No. 5 – May 14th
No. 6 – May 7th
No. 7 – Men's Lacrosse Defeats No. 7 Pace
No. 8 – Women's Lacrosse Defeats No. 18 Bentley in Final Seconds on the Road
No. 9 – Softball Gets Off to Best Four-Game Start Since 2017
No. 10 – John Mooradian, Miguel Ortiz Sanchez and Anthony Murphy Reach Career Milestones and Move up in Baseball Record Book
