DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 14, 2021) – The Mercy College women's soccer team plays at No. 21 Molloy on Saturday, October 16th at 3 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, October 16th 3 p.m.
Records: Mercy (6-1-4, 5-0 ECC), #21 Molloy (10-2, 4-1 ECC)
Location: Rockville Centre, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Molloy
Molloy and Mercy played to a 1-1 tie in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on November 24, 2019 at Mercy. Molloy advanced on penalty kicks, 3-1.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a 0-0 draw at Assumption on Tuesday and were led by senior Melissa Torres who had three saves for the shutout. The Mavericks are 5-0-2 in their last seven games and have allowed just five goals in 11 games. Mercy is currently in a tie for first place in the ECC standings with Daemen who handed Molloy their lone ECC loss earlier this season. The Mavericks are looking to defeat their first ranked team since earning a 1-0 win against No. 24 Southern New Hampshire on August 31, 2018. Graduate student Nikki Bermudez has a team-high five goals on the year and has been named to the ECC Honor Roll four times. She currently ranks third in the ECC in goals. Sophomore Madison Rosa has an ECC-best five assists with seven points on the year. Senior Claudia McKail also has seven points on the year with three goals and one assist. McKail was tabbed to the ECC Honor Roll last Monday. Junior Alexa Billingham and sophomore Kayla Camacho have five points apiece on two goals and one assist. Junior Dominique Bono and sophomore Skyler Schwenkler have two goals and seniors Sydney Cooper and Jessica Hoyt both have a goal and two assists on the year. Cooper was named to the ECC Honor Roll on September 13th after scoring the game-tying goal against Adelphi on September 9th. Senior Melissa Torres is 5-1-4 in goal with 24 saves, five shutouts and a .828 save percentage. Torres was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday and was named to the ECC Honor Roll on Tuesday. She has a 0.48 goals against average and set a school record with her 25th career shutout against Bridgeport on September 29th. Senior Veronica Scruggs made the start in goal against Lincoln last Saturday and made two saves to earn her first shutout win.
Mercy is currently ranked sixth in the United Soccer Coaches East Region poll released on October 12th. The Mavericks went 13-3-4 in 2019 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. Mercy has made five NCAA Tournament appearances since 2013 and has made the ECC Tournament in seven straight seasons. The Mavericks were picked first in the ECC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Third-year Head Coach Danny Leon Jr. has 10 returners from the 2019 team and has 13 student-athletes who will see their first game action as Mavericks during the 2021 season. Leading the returners is Cooper who was named Third Team All-Region and First Team All-ECC in 2019 after recording four goals and two assists. Torres returns in goal after receiving Second Team All-Region and ECC Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2019. Senior Fernanda Castro also returns after taking home First Team All-Region and First Team All-ECC accolades in 2019. Also returning from the 2019 team are seniors Veronica Scruggs, Hoyt, McKail and Juliana Conforti and juniors Carli LoNigro, Tyra Anderson and Billingham. Seeing their first game action as Mavericks after practicing with the team last year are Rosa, Camacho, Marlene Avalos, Schwenkler, Jennifer Silva, Toni Valadez, Alisa Jensen and Genesis Vargas. Making up the freshmen class are Kayla Saavedra, Stacy Avendano and Elizabeth Bowles. Leon Jr. also adds two transfers in Bermudez and Bono from New York Tech. Bermudez was named Second Team All-ECC and First Team All-ECAC in 2019 at New York Tech.
Scouting the Lions
Molloy enters Saturday's game on a three-game winning streak and is coming off a 3-1 win at Pace on Wednesday. They are currently ranked No. 21 nationally in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Lions were picked second in the ECC Coaches' Poll after going 15-5-3 in 2019. Molloy won the ECC Championship in 2019 and advanced to the NCAA East Region Final. Seniors Dana Poetzsch and Jackie Carty were tabbed ECC Preseason Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year. Junior Lexi Verni leads the ECC in goals (8) and points (18) and has three game-winning goals. Junior Annie Coogan and Poetzsch have two goals and three assists and sophomore Sarah Tappeto has three goals and one assist. Carty is 10-2 in goal with 50 saves and a .877 save percentage with eight shutouts.
Next Game
Mercy resumes action on Monday, October 18th when they play at Holy Family at 3:30 p.m.
