DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 5, 2023) – The RV Mercy University men's soccer team plays at ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday, October 7th at 2 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, October 7th 2 p.m.
Records: RV Mercy (6-1-3, 3-0-1 ECC), St. Thomas Aquinas (6-1-2, 3-0 ECC)
Location: Sparkill, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
Mercy earned a 1-1 draw against St. Thomas Aquinas on October 8, 2022 in Dobbs Ferry.
Scouting the Mavericks
The Mavericks earned a 4-0 win over regionally-ranked Millersville on Wednesday in their last game. Mercy opens the 2023 season looking to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons and qualify for the ECC Championship for the fifth time in six seasons under eighth-year head coach Pedro Velazquez. The Mavericks went 12-3-5 last season winning their fifth ECC Championship and advancing to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Mercy returns three of their top five goal scorers and eight student-athletes who started at least 10 matches in 2022. The Mavericks were picked first in the ECC Preseason Poll and return their leading goal scorer from last year in Third Team All-ECC selection junior Luis Silva who had six goals and two assists last season. Second Team All-ECC recipient senior Daniel Rodriguez also returns after starting 19 games last season with four goals and five assists. Sophomore Mateo Bacigalupo returns after scoring three goals in his freshman campaign. Third Team All-ECC honoree junior Martin Penafiel netted two goals and two assists last season and ECC Preseason Defensive Co-Player of the Year junior Eirik Elvestad returns in goal after going 11-2-5 last season with 64 saves, a .790 save percentage and 0.95 goals-against average. He was named ECC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year and All-Region last season. Returning on defense is reigning ECC Rookie of the Year sophomore Mathias Schilbred-Eriksen who had six assists last season. Sophomore Johannes Hanken Tjostheim has been named ECC Offensive Player of the Week twice and has a team-high 17 points on an ECC-best eight goals with one assist. Senior Carlos Fernandes has been named to the ECC Honor Roll three times and is second on the team with 10 points on three goals and a team-high four assists. Fernandes scored the game-winning goal in Mercy's win over Southern Connecticut State on September 9th. Bacigalupo has three goals and three assists on the year and freshman Diego Guzman, sophomore Jorgen Krohn-Pettersen, junior Juan José Alvarez Acosta and Silva also have a goal. Junior Julian Holland has two goals and an assist on the year and was named ECC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Graduate student Phillimon Bédard-Khalid has three assists and Rodriguez, Schilbred-Eriksen, sophomore Nicolás Cerda and Penafiel each have an assist. Elvestad is 6-1-3 in goal with 26 saves, a .765 save percentage and 0.81 goals-against average. The junior has been named the ECC Defensive Player of the Week twice and recorded his 100th career save at Queens on Saturday. Elvestad also now has a school-record 16 career shutouts. Silva was named to the ECC Honor Roll last week after scoring the game-winning goal against Queens. The Mavericks are ranked fourth in the latest United Soccer Coaches East Region poll and are receiving votes nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll released on Tuesday. Mercy is 9-6-3 in their last 18 games against the Spartans and haven't beaten the Spartans since 2019. The Mavericks last won at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2018.
Scouting the Spartans
St. Thomas Aquinas is coming off a 3-2 win over Georgian Court on Tuesday for their third straight win. The Spartans were picked seventh in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 6-6-4 last season. St. Thomas Aquinas is led by one-time ECC Offensive Player of the Week Kevon Evans who has an ECC-best eight goals and 20 points. Alejandro Zuniga is second on the team with 12 points on four goals and four assists and Nicholas Sadorf has four game-winning goals with five goals and 11 points. One-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week Calle Olle Petter Gunnarsson is 6-0-2 in goal with 41 saves, a .804 save percentage and 1.21 goals-against average.
Next Game
Mercy resumes action on Wednesday, October 11th when they host Wilmington at 2:30 p.m.
