DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 7, 2021) – The Mercy College women's soccer team hosts ECC foe Lincoln on Saturday, October 9th at 3 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, October 9th 3 p.m.
Records: Mercy (5-1-3, 4-0 ECC), Lincoln (0-7, 0-4 ECC)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Lincoln
Mercy earned an 11-0 victory over the Lions on November 10, 2019.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a 1-1 tie at No. 7 Southern New Hampshire on Tuesday. The Mavericks were led by graduate student Nikki Bermudez who scored and by senior Melissa Torres who made four saves. Mercy is looking to start 5-0 in ECC play for the first time since 2018. Bermudez has a team-high five goals on the year and has been named to the ECC Honor Roll three times. She currently ranks second in the ECC in goals and is tied for third in points with 10. Sophomore Skyler Schwenkler and senior Claudia McKail are second on the team with two goals and four points. McKail was tabbed to the ECC Honor Roll on Monday. Junior Alexa Billingham and senior Sydney Cooper both have a goal and an assist 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. Junior Dominique Bono and sophomore Kayla Camacho have also scored and sophomore Madison Rosa and Hoyt have a team-high two assists on the year. Senior Melissa Torres is 5-1-3 in goal with 21 saves, four shutouts and a .808 save percentage. Torres was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday and was named to the ECC Honor Roll on September 13th. She has a 0.54 goals against average and set a school record with her 25th career shutout against Bridgeport on September 29th.
Mercy is currently ranked seventh in the United Soccer Coaches East Region poll released on September 28th. 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
Lincoln is coming off a 14-1 loss to Queens on October 2nd. The Lions were picked 10th in the ECC Coaches' Poll and are looking for their first win since October 8, 2019. Lincoln is led by senior Tamara Evans and freshman Theresa Schmid who both have a goal on the year. Freshman Saige Samuels is 0-6 in goal with 76 saves and a .704 save percentage and freshman MacKienzee Rasheed is 0-1 with 22 saves and a .564 save percentage.
Next Game
Mercy resumes action on Tuesday, October 12th when they play at Assumption at 3 p.m.
