DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Sept. 27, 2021) – The Mercy College women's soccer team hosts ECC foe Bridgeport on Wednesday, September 29th at 12 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Wednesday, September 29th 12 p.m.
Records: Mercy (4-1-2, 3-0 ECC), Bridgeport (3-4, 0-1 ECC)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Bridgeport
Mercy earned a 2-2 tie at Bridgeport on October 26, 2019.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a 2-0 win over Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday for their third straight win. The Mavericks were led by sophomore Skyler Schwenkler and graduate student Nikki Bermudez who both scored. Sophomore Jennifer Silva and senior Jessica Hoyt both added assists. The Mavericks are 2-0-1 in their last three meetings against the Purple Knights. Mercy is looking to start 4-0 in ECC play for the first time since 2018. Bermudez has a team-high four goals on the year and has been named to the ECC Honor Roll twice. Schwenkler is second on the team with two goals and four points. 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, senior Claudia McKail 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 4-1-2 in goal with 14 saves, three shutouts and a .778 save percentage. Torres was named to the ECC Honor Roll on September 13th and has a 0.57 goals against average. Torres needs one more shutout to set a new school record for career shutouts.
Mercy is currently ranked fifth in the United Soccer Coaches East Region poll. 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 Purple Knights
Bridgeport enters Wednesday's game on a three-game losing streak and is coming off a 2-0 loss to No. 21 Molloy on Saturday. The Purple Knights were picked third in the ECC Coaches' Poll and are coming off a season in which they went 9-7-3 in 2019. In 2018, Bridgeport went 20-4-1 and won their first-ever National Championship. Senior Andrea Basilicato leads the team with five points on two goals and one assist. Junior Leigh-Ann Ramsey and freshman Kate Thill have a goal and an assist and freshman Clara Karlsson is 3-4 in goal with 30 saves and a .732 save percentage.
Next Game
Mercy resumes action on Tuesday, October 5th when they play at Southern N.H. at 7 p.m.
