DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 28, 2022) – The No. 14 Mercy College men's soccer team hosts ECC foe Roberts Wesleyan University for Senior Day on Saturday, October 29th at 1:30 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, October 29th 1:30 p.m.
Records: No. 14 Mercy (11-2-3, 4-1-2 ECC), Roberts Wesleyan (7-4-4, 3-1-3 ECC)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Roberts Wesleyan
Mercy and Roberts Wesleyan played to a 2-2 draw on September 25, 2021.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a 2-0 win over Bridgeport on Wednesday. The Mavericks were led by freshman Mateo Bacigalupo and senior David Breitenbach who both scored. Sophomore Eirik Elvestad made three saves to earn the win. Sophomore Martin Penafiel was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. On October 11th, sophomore Eirik 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 have surpassed their win total from last season. The Mavericks have secured their fourth ECC Championship berth in the last five seasons. Mercy is currently third in the ECC standings. The Mavericks can earn the No. 2 seed and host a Semifinal game if they win, or tie and Queens loses or ties against Staten Island. Mercy is ranked No. 14 nationally in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll and sixth in the latest NCAA Super-Region 1 Regional Rankings. 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 13 points. Freshman Nicolás Cerda was named ECC Rookie of the Week on September 6th and has two goals and an assist. Senior David Breitenbach has five goals and 11 points and freshman Mateo Bacigalupo has two goals on the season, recording the game-winning goal in Mercy's win over New Haven on August 28th and against Bridgeport. He was named to the ECC Honor Roll on August 29th. Junior Daniel Rodriguez has 11 points on the year on three goals and five assists. Junior Carlos Fernandes has a goal and an assist on the year and Schilbred-Eriksen has a team-high six assists. Sophomore Martin Penafiel also has a goal and two assists. Baptista recorded his first collegiate goal in the win over Daemen on September 10th and has 12 points on three goals and six assists. Senior Marco Passera has scored two goals. Elvestad is 10-1-3 in goal with 38 saves, a .792 save percentage and 0.74 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 Redhawks
Roberts Wesleyan is coming off a 1-1 draw against Salem on Saturday. The Redhawks were picked fifth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 8-7-3 last season. Roberts Wesleyan currently sits in the final ECC Championship spot and can clinch a spot with a win or Daemen loss. The Redhawks are led by ECC Preseason Player of the Year senior Dylan Ruiz who has a team-high 24 points on 10 goals and four assists. Junior Tamas Nagy has 23 points on eight goals and a team-high seven assists. Senior Justin Robertson has five goals and two assists and graduate student Alex Perez has five goals and an assist. Senior Jared Gibbons is 7-4-4 with 72 saves, a .800 save percentage and 1.20 goals-against average.
Next Game
Mercy resumes action on Thursday, November 3rd when they play in an ECC Championship Semifinal game at a time to be announced.
