DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Nov. 3, 2023) – The #2 seed Mercy University men's soccer team hosts #3 seed Queens College in an ECC Men's Soccer Championship Semifinal matchup on Saturday, November 4th at 12 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, November 4th 12 p.m.
Records: #2 Mercy (9-3-5), #3 Queens (9-7-2)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Tickets
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
All Games
$8 -General Admission (ticket price raised to $10 starting at midnight the day of the game)
$4 – Students with ID, Senior Citizens, Children Ages 5 and Up
Children under 5 free for all games
* Tickets must be purchased at the link above. Cash will not be accepted so walkup tickets at the venue still must be purchased through the ECC website (QR code will be available at the gate).
Last Meeting vs. Queens
Mercy earned a 3-1 win over Queens on September 23, 2023.
Scouting the Mavericks
The Mavericks earned a 7-1 win over Daemen on October 28th. 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 three times and has a team-high 28 points on 12 goals with four assists. Senior Carlos Fernandes has been named to the ECC Honor Roll three times and is second on the team with 14 points on four goals and a team-high six 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 and junior Juan José Alvarez Acosta also have a goal. Silva has three goals on the year and sophomore Jorgen Krohn-Pettersen has two goals this season. Junior Julian Holland has three goals and three assists on the year and has been named ECC Defensive Co-Player of the Week twice. Graduate student Phillimon Bédard-Khalid has four assists and Rodriguez has a goal and five assists. Penafiel has three assists, Schilbred-Eriksen has two assists and sophomore Nicolás Cerda also has an assist. Elvestad is 9-3-5 in goal with 55 saves, a .764 save percentage and 1.01 goals-against average. The junior has been named the ECC Defensive Player of the Week three times and recorded his 100th career save at Queens. Elvestad also now has a school-record 17 career shutouts. Silva was named to the ECC Honor Roll on September 25th after scoring the game-winning goal against Queens. Schilbred-Eriksen was tabbed to the ECC Honor Roll on October 9th. The Mavericks are making their fifth ECC Championship appearance in six seasons and are looking to win their fourth ECC Tournament Championship. Mercy won the championship last season and previously won it in 2004 and 2019. The Mavericks are looking to advance to the final for the fourth time since 2018. Mercy is looking to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons. The Mavericks are currently receiving votes nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and are ranked No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll. Mercy has won seven straight meetings against Queens and has not lost to the Knights since 2015.
Scouting the Knights
Queens is coming off a 2-1 win over Staten Island in the First Round of the ECC Championship on Wednesday. The Knights are looking to advance to the Final for the first time and are looking to win their first ECC Tournament Championship. Queens was picked second in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 13-7 last season, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. The Knights are led by Harry Cooke who has a team-high 24 points on nine goals and six assists. Adolfo Martinez Paquet is second on the team with 17 points on 11 assists and two goals. One-time ECC Offensive Player of the Week Leo Pinto has 15 points on six goals and three assists and one-time ECC Offensive Player of the Week Nicholas Tagios has 12 points on four goals and four assists. Austin Matthews is 3-2 in goal with 16 saves, a .800 save percentage and 0.87 goals-against average.
Next Game
The winner of Saturday's game will face the winner of STAC/UDC in the Final on Saturday, November 11th at the highest remaining seed.
