DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 31, 2024) – The No. 23 Mercy University men's soccer team hosts ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas College for Senior Day on Saturday, November 2nd at 12 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, November 2nd 12 p.m.
Records: #23 Mercy (8-2-5, 4-0-3 ECC), St. Thomas Aquinas (6-7-3, 1-3-3 ECC)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
Mercy earned a 1-1 tie against STAC on October 7, 2023.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy opens the 2024 season looking to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in six seasons and qualify for the ECC Championship sixth time in seven seasons under ninth-year head coach Pedro Velazquez. The Mavericks went 9-4-5 last season, advancing to the Semifinals of the ECC Championship. Mercy was picked second in the ECC Preseason Poll and senior Eirik Elvestad was named ECC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Velazquez and the Mavericks return five of their top seven scorers from last year and return reigning ECC Defensive Player of the Year senior Julian Holland as well as 2022 ECC Defensive Player of the Year graduate student Benjamin Van Buren. Junior Johannes Hanken Tjostheim returns for the Mavericks after being named United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region, D2CCA Second Team All-Region and First Team All-ECC. The junior had 13 goals, four assists, 30 points and four game-winning goals last season. Hanken Tjostheim led the team in goals and points and tied for the ECC lead in goals. Junior Mateo Bacigalupo also returns after posting three goals and four assists in 2023. Holland was also named United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region and D2CCA First Team All-Region a year ago and posted three goals and three assists. Junior Jorgen Krohn-Pettersen and senior Antonio Sas both return after combining for five goals and one assist. Van Buren was named United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region and D2CCA First Team All-Region in 2022 after netting three goals and six points. Senior Martin Penafiel returns after recording a goal and three assists in 2023 and junior Mathias Schilbred-Eriksen is back after being named Third Team All-ECC a year ago. Schilbred-Eriksen dished out four assists in 17 games in 2023. Elvestad is back in goal for the Mavericks after being named ECC Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight year. The senior went 9-4-5 in goal last season with 63 saves, a .750 save percentage, 1.18 goals-against average and six shutouts. Elvestad recorded his 100th career save last season and set the school record for career shutouts.
Mercy is coming off a 4-2 win over Wilmington on Wednesday. The Mavericks were led by junior Johannes Hanken Tjostheim who recorded a hat-trick with an assist and by senior Antonio Sas who had a goal and an assist. Senior Julian Holland, Hanken Tjostheim and freshman Herman Borke were named to the ECC Honor Roll on Monday. Hanken Tjostheim and Sas were named to the ECC Honor Roll last week. Senior Eirik Elvestad was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week for a second time on October 7th and Hanken Tjostheim was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Hanken Tjostheim and senior Julian Holland were named to the ECC Honor Roll on September 30th. Holland was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week on September 23rd and Hanken Tjostheim and Elvestad were tabbed to the Honor Roll. Hanken Tjostheim was named ECC Offensive Player of the Week on September 16th and graduate student Benjamin Van Buren was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week. Elvestad was named to the Honor Roll. Elvestad was named the ECC Defensive Player of the Week on September 9th. Hanken Tjostheim has a team-high 20 goals and 46 points on the year and Bacigalupo has four goals and 10 points. Hanken Tjostheim currently leads Division II in goals and points. Sophomore Marcel Duffau has a goal and three assists and senior Juan Jose Alvarez Acosta has three assists. Junior Mathias Schilbred-Eriksen has two assists on the year. Senior Martin Penafiel has three assists with one goal on the year. Junior Hugo Martin has three goals, and junior Santiago Serrano has two goals and four assists on the year. Holland has five assists with two goals and freshman Santiago Dutilh has one assist. Sas has two goals and three assists. Senior Franco Acri has two assists and Souhail has a goal and an assist. Borke has two goals and two assists and Nicolas Cerda has one goal. Elvestad is 7-2-4 in goal with 59 saves, a 1.03 goals-against average and .808 save percentage with six shutouts. Mercy is ranked No. 23 nationally in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Mavericks are also ranked third in the East Region Poll. Mercy has secured their sixth ECC Championship berth in seven seasons and have secured the No. 2 seed. They will host a Semifinal on Sunday, November 10th at 1 p.m. Mercy is 9-6-4 in their last 19 meetings against STAC and haven't beaten the Spartans since 2019. Mercy is one of 12 teams currently under consideration for an NCAA Tournament berth in the first Super-Region 1 Regional Rankings released on Wednesday.
Scouting the Spartans
STAC is coming off a 5-0 loss against Southern New Hampshire on Wednesday for their third straight loss. The Spartans are 0-6-1 in their last seven games. STAC was picked third in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 10-2-5 last season, winning the ECC Regular Season Championship. The Spartans are led by ECC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Kevon Evans who has a team-high 11 goals, six assists and 28 points. Uhunoma Ilekhuoba has four goals and Maziko Jiya has three goals and one assist. Francisco Degiorgi and Yahir Hernandez both have a goal and four assists and Johan Morales is 2-6-3 in goal with 49 saves, a .662 save percentage and 2.14 goals-against average. STAC needs a win over Mercy and a D'Youville loss to Daemen or a UDC tie/loss to Staten Island to make the ECC Championship.
Next Game
Mercy resumes action on Sunday, November 10th when they host an ECC Semifinal at 1 p.m.
