DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 6, 2022) – The No. 24 Mercy College men's soccer team hosts ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday, October 8th at 12 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, October 8th 12 p.m.
Records: No. 24 Mercy (9-2-1, 4-1 ECC), St. Thomas Aquinas (4-4-3, 0-2-2 ECC)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. STAC
Mercy dropped a 3-2 decision to STAC on October 3, 2021.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a 3-0 win over regionally-ranked Southern New Hampshire on Wednesday. The Mavericks were led by sophomore Luis Silva who scored two goals and by senior Marco Passera who also scored. Sophomore Eirik Elvestad made five saves to earn the shutout win. Mercy looks to continue their best start since the 2019 season. Mercy is ranked No. 24 nationally in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll and third in the East Region. The Mavericks are 9-6-2 in their last 17 meetings against the Spartans and have won four of the last five meetings. 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 five 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 nine points on two goals and five assists. Passera has scored a goal in each of the last two games. Sophomore Eirik Elvestad is 8-1-1 in goal with 25 saves, a .735 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 Spartans
St. Thomas Aquinas dropped a 2-1 decision to Saint Rose on Tuesday. The Spartans have lost three of their last four games. STAC was picked in a tie for first in the ECC Preseason Coaches' Poll after going 10-3-4 last season. The Spartans won their first-ever ECC Regular Season Championship last season after going 6-1-2 in ECC play. STAC is led by senior Jorge Umana who has an ECC-best nine goals and 21 points. He also has three assists and three game-winning goals. Sophomore Kevon Evans is second on the team with six goals and 15 points and senior Anthony Sanchez has two goals and three assists. Freshman Tabor McDaniels is 1-3-1 in goal with a 1.60 goals-against average, 23 saves and a .719 savd percentage.
Next Game
Mercy resumes action on Saturday, October 15th when they play at Staten Island at 2 p.m.
