DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 13, 2022) – The No. 23 Mercy College men's soccer team plays at ECC foe College of Staten Island on Saturday, October 15th at 2 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, October 15th 2 p.m.
Records: No. 23 Mercy (9-2-2, 4-1-1 ECC), Staten Island (4-9, 2-2 ECC)
Location: Staten Island, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Staten Island
Mercy earned a 2-0 win over Staten Island on September 18, 2021.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a 1-1 draw against STAC on Saturday. The Mavericks were led by senior Vasco Baptista who scored and by sophomore Eirik Elvestad who made five saves. On Tuesday, Elvestad was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week and freshman Mathias Schilbred-Eriksen was tabbed Rookie of the Week. Mercy looks to continue their best start since the 2019 season and surpass their win total from all of last year. Mercy is ranked No. 23 nationally in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll and third in the East Region. The Mavericks are 2-0 all-time against the Dolphins. Senior Benjamin Van Buren was named to the ECC Honor Roll on September 19th and has been named ECC Defensive Player of the Week once. Van Buren scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute of Mercy's season-opening win over Saint Rose on August 25th and scored the game-winning goal in the win over D'Youville on Saturday. He has three goals. Sophomore Luis Silva has a team-high six goals and 12 points and has scored all six goals in the last six games. Freshman Nicolás Cerda was named ECC Rookie of the Week on September 6th and has two goals and an assist. Senior David Breitenbach has four goals and nine points and freshman Mateo Bacigalupo has one goal on the season, recording the game-winning goal in Mercy's win over New Haven on August 28th. He was named to the ECC Honor Roll on August 29th. Junior Daniel Rodriguez has 10 points on the year on three goals and three assists. Junior Carlos Fernandes has a goal and an assist on the year and freshman Mathias Schilbred-Eriksen has a team-high six assists. Sophomore Martin Penafiel also has two assists. Baptista recorded his first collegiate goal in the win over Daemen on September 10th and has 11 points on three goals and five assists. Senior Marco Passera has scored two goals. Elvestad is 8-1-2 in goal with 30 saves, a .750 save percentage and 0.95 goals-against average. Freshman Simon Steffensen is 1-1 in net with eight saves, a .727 save percentage and 1.20 goals-against average. Mercy enters the 2022 season looking to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four seasons and qualify for the ECC Championship for the fourth time in five seasons under seventh-year head coach Pedro Velazquez. The Mavericks went 9-5-2 last season and missed qualifying for the ECC Championship due to a tiebreaker. Mercy has posted a winning record in each of Velazquez's five seasons as head coach. The Mavericks are looking to win their first ECC Championship since 2019 and were picked third in the ECC Preseason Poll. Mercy's leading returning scorer is Dalmau who had nine points on four goals and one assist in 2021. Breitenbach also returns after posting two goals and three assists. Penafiel returns after recording two goals and two assists and Van Buren and Kevin Aguilar return on defense.
Scouting the Dolphins
Staten Island is coming off a 2-1 win over Alliance on Wednesday. The Dolphins were picked seventh in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 3-12-2 overall and 1-7-1 in ECC play. Staten Island has already surpassed their win total overall and in ECC play from last year. The Dolphins are led by junior Daniel Angulo who has a team-high eight points on a team-high three goals and two assists. Sophomore Brendan Maguire has two goals and an assist and freshman Steven Adebisi and sophomore Nicholas Kishenko both have two goals. Freshman Amari Thompson is 4-8 in goal with 51 saves, a .671 save percentage and 2.24 goals-against average.
Next Game
Mercy resumes action on Tuesday, October 18th when they host East Stroudsburg at 3 p.m.
