DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 19, 2021) – The Mercy College women's soccer team hosts ECC foe Queens on Friday, October 22nd at 11 a.m.

Who, When and Where

Date/Time: Friday, October 22nd 11 a.m.

Records: Mercy (6-3-4, 5-1 ECC), Queens (3-5-1, 2-3 ECC)

Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

Last Meeting vs. Queens

Mercy earned a 1-0 win over Queens on September 21, 2019.

Scouting the Mavericks

Mercy is coming off a 2-1 overtime loss at Holy Family on Monday. The Mavericks were led by junior Carli LoNigro who scored and by graduate student Nikki Bermudez who had an assist. Mercy has dropped two games in a row for the first time since 2016 and have not lost three games in a row since 2012. Mercy has not lost to Queens since 2012 but have not beaten them by more than two goals during that time. Bermudez has a team-high 11 points on a team-high five goals with one assist 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 on October 4th. Junior Alexa Billingham and sophomore Kayla Camacho have five points apiece on two goals and one assist. Juniors Dominique Bono and LoNigro 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 5-2-4 in goal with 28 saves, five shutouts and a .824 save percentage. Torres was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week on October 4th and was named to the ECC Honor Roll last Tuesday. She has an ECC-best 0.52 goals against average and set a school record with her 25th career shutout against Bridgeport on September 29th. Senior Veronica Scruggs is 1-1 in goal with four saves and one shutout in two starts.

Mercy is currently ranked seventh in the United Soccer Coaches East Region poll released on October 19th. 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 Knights

Queens enters Friday's game on a two-game losing streak and is coming off a 3-0 loss to Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday. The Knights were picked sixth in the ECC Coaches' Poll after going 7-9-1 in 2019. Queens has earned wins over Nyack, Staten Island and Lincoln this season. The Knights are led by sophomore Samantha Pinto who has a team-high nine points on four goals and one assist. Freshman Jacklyn Diel has four goals and freshman Julia Ragone has three goals and two assists. Sophomore Ariana Vargas is 2-4-1 in goal with 27 saves and a .675 save percentage in eight starts.

Next Game

Mercy resumes action on Tuesday, October 26th when they host Le Moyne at 3 p.m.