DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (July 12, 2024) – For the ninth year, Mercy University Athletics will recap the year by counting down the Top-10 most memorable moments of the 2023-24 season, with all 10 sports represented.
Mercy University Athletics will release a Top-10 moment, as chosen by the athletics staff, with a recap every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next four weeks, culminating with the top moment from the 2023-24 athletic year being unveiled on Monday, July 22nd.
No. 5 – Men's Soccer Qualifies for ECC Championship for Fifth Time in Six Seasons and Hosts Semifinal
Coming in at No. 5 in our 2023-24 Top-10 Moments is men's soccer who qualified for the ECC Championship for the fifth time in six seasons and hosted a Semifinal game.
Head Coach Pedro Velazquez and the Mavericks were picked first in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 12-3-5 in 2022, winning their fifth ECC Championship and advancing to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Junior Eirik Elvestad was named the ECC Preseason Defensive Co-Player of the Year.
Mercy opened their 2023 season at Southern New Hampshire on August 31st. Despite three saves from Elvestad, the Mavericks dropped a 2-0 decision to the Penmen. The Mavericks bounced back on September 2nd with a 3-2 win over Saint Rose. Mercy took a 2-0 lead on goals by sophomores Mateo Bacigalupo and Johannes Hanken Tjostheim. The Golden Knights scored two unanswered goals to tie the game at 2-2 before Hanken Tjostheim scored the game-winning goal in the 53rd minute, off an assist from senior Carlos Fernandes, to give Mercy the 3-2 win. Hanken Tjostheim scored his first two goals as a Maverick and added an assist and Fernandes had a game-high three assists. Mercy won their eighth straight home opener. Following the win over Saint Rose, Hanken Tjostheim was named ECC Offensive Player of the Week and Fernandes was tabbed to the Honor Roll.
On September 6th, the Mavericks played at perennial East Region power Adelphi. Led by the game-tying goal in the 67th minute from Hanken Tjostheim, off an assist from Bacigalupo, Mercy earned a 1-1 draw against the Panthers.
Velazquez and the Mavericks got back in the win column on September 9th when Fernandes scored the game-winning goal in the 53rd minute and Elvestad made four saves to give Mercy a 1-0 win over Southern Connecticut State. The Mavericks improved to 2-1-1 on the year with the win. After the win over the Owls, Elvestad was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week, freshman Marius Pignat-Larsen was tabbed Rookie of the Week and Fernandes was named to the Honor Roll.
Mercy was ranked fifth in the United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll on September 13th. The Mavericks faced American International on September 13th with Elvestad making three saves in a 0-0 draw. Mercy ended the week with a 3-0 win over D'Youville in their ECC opener on September 16th. Fernandes had a game-high two goals and freshman Diego Guzmán added his first collegiate goal in the win. The Mavericks moved to 3-1-2 overall and won their ECC opener for the fifth straight season. Following the win over the Saints, Fernandes was named to the ECC Honor Roll for the third straight week.
The Mavericks remained fifth in the United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll on September 19th. Mercy faced regionally-ranked Queens on September 23rd and Elvestad made a game-high six saves and Bacigalupo and junior Luís Silva scored as the Mavericks came away with a 3-1 win over the Knights. Mercy defeated Queens for the seventh straight time. Elvestad recorded his 100th career save, becoming the eighth goalkeeper in Mercy history to record 100 career saves. Elvestad was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week and Silva was tabbed to the Honor Roll after the win over Queens.
On September 26th, Mercy was receiving votes nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and was ranked fourth in the United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll. The Mavericks faced Staten Island on September 27th and Elvestad recorded his fourth shutout of the season in a 0-0 draw. Mercy capped off the week with an impressive 6-2 win at Roberts Wesleyan on September 30th. Hanken Tjostheim and junior Julian Holland combined for five goals and Bacigalupo also scored as the Mavericks cruised to the four-goal victory. The six goals scored by the Mavericks tied the most ever scored against the Redhawks, matching the total from 2017. The victory was also Head Coach Pedro Velazquez's 75th career win. Hanken Tjostheim was named ECC Offensive Player of the Week and Holland was tabbed Co-Defensive Player of the Week after the big win over Roberts Wesleyan.
Velazquez and the Mavericks continued to receive votes nationally and were ranked fourth in the United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll on October 3rd. Mercy faced regionally-ranked Millersville on October 4th and came away with an impressive 4-0 win in arguably their best performance of the season. Hanken Tjostheim netted two goals and sophomore Jorgen Krohn-Pettersen and Juan José Alvarez Acosta both netted their first goals for the Mavericks. Elvestad made one save to earn his fifth shutout of the season. Elvestad recorded his 16th career shutout, breaking the school record of 15 set by Nick Papas and Andrew McGovern. Mercy sat at 6-1-3 after the win and were unbeaten in their last nine games.
The Mavericks ended the week with a 1-1 draw at St. Thomas Aquinas on October 7th. Hanken Tjostheim recorded his ECC-leading ninth goal of the season and senior Daniel Rodriguez dished out his third assist of the season. Elvestad made a game-high six saves as the two teams played to a 1-1 draw for the second straight year. Following the week of games, Hanken Tjostheim was named ECC Offensive Player of the Week, Elvestad was tabbed Defensive Co-Player of the Week and sophomore Mathias Schilbred-Eriksen was named to the Honor Roll.
Mercy entered the Top 25 nationally at No. 24 and were ranked third in the United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll on October 10th. The Mavericks faced regionally-ranked Wilmington on October 11th and dropped a 4-1 decision to see their 10-game unbeaten streak come to an end. Mercy dropped their first regular season home game since November 4, 2021. Holland scored his third goal of the season and Schilbred-Eriksen dished out his second assist.
Velazquez and the Mavericks bounced back on October 14th with a 1-0 win over Molloy. Hanken Tjostheim netted the game-winning goal in the 61st minute, off a Holland assist, to give Mercy their fifth straight win over Molloy. Elvestad added five saves to earn his sixth shutout of the season. Following the win over the Lions, Holland was named ECC Co-Defensive Player of the Week and Hanken Tjostheim was tabbed to the Honor Roll.
Mercy made it two wins in a row when they earned a convincing 5-1 win over Dominican on October 17th. Junior Antonio Sas had a game-high two goals, graduate student Phillimon Bédard-Khalid had a goal and an assist, Hanken Tjostheim recorded his ECC-leading 11th goal of the season and Luís Silva also scored in the win. Mercy improved to 8-2-4 on the year with the win.
The Mavericks were receiving votes nationally and were ranked fourth in the United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll on October 17th. Mercy was back in action on October 21st when they hosted District of Columbia. Krohn-Pettersen scored the game-tying goal as the Mavericks played to a 1-1 draw against the Firebirds. Mercy improved to 4-0-3 in ECC play and secured their fifth ECC Championship appearance in six seasons.
Mercy moved back into the Top 25 nationally at No. 25 and were ranked third in the East Region Poll on October 24th. The Mavericks faced New Haven on October 24th and dropped a narrow 1-0 decision, despite five saves from Elvestad. Mercy fell to 8-3-5 following the loss.
In the first NCAA Regional Rankings, the Mavericks were one of 12 teams currently under consideration for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Mercy concluded the regular season with Senior Day against Daemen on October 28th. In a ceremony prior to the game, seniors Eduardo Costa, Daniel Dalmau, Rodriguez, Fernandes, Saul Melendez, Silva, Bédard-Khalid and Edgar Tellez Jr. were recognized for their contributions to the program. The Mavericks exploded for a season-high seven goals in a 7-1 win over the Wildcats. Rodriguez had a game-high four points on a goal and two assists and Fernandes, Dalmau and Hanken Tjostheim each had a goal and an assist. Pignat-Larsen and junior Juan Campillo Casas both recorded their first collegiate goals. Mercy improved to 10-0 all-time against Daemen and ended the regular season 9-3-5 overall and 5-0-3 in ECC play. Following the win over Daemen, Rodriguez and Hanken Tjostheim were tabbed to the ECC Honor Roll.
Mercy was receiving votes nationally and was ranked fourth in the East Region Poll ahead of the ECC Championship. The Mavericks secured the No. 2 seed in the ECC Championship and would host No. 3 seed Queens in a Semifinal matchup on November 4th at Mercy Field. Prior to the start of the Championship, the All-Conference teams came out with Elvestad being named Goalkeeper of the Year and Holland being named Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Elvestad, Holland, Hanken Tjostheim and Fernandes were named First Team All-ECC, Rodriguez and Melendez were tabbed Second Team All-ECC and Costa and Schilbred-Eriksen were named Third Team All-ECC.
Prior to the start of the Semifinal game, Costa was awarded the ECC Elite 20 Award for men's soccer for having the highest grade point average out of all student-athletes participating in the ECC Men's Soccer Championship. The game saw Queens take a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute and the Knights headed into halftime with a 1-0 lead. Mercy tied the game at 1-1 in the 48th minute when Krohn-Pettersen headed in a Schilbred-Eriksen corner kick. Junior Martin Penafiel made it 2-1 Mercy in the 49th minute when he connected on a penalty kick after Fernandes drew a foul in the box. The Mavericks increased their lead to 3-1 in the 58th minute when Bacigalupo sent a cross from right to left to Hanken Tjostheim who found the right corner of the goal to give Mercy a two-goal lead. Queens inched closer with a goal in the 71st minute to make it 3-2 and tied the game at 3-3 in the 74th minute. The Knights scored the game-winning goal with eight seconds left and held Mercy scoreless for the final eight seconds of play to earn the 4-3 win.
The Mavericks saw their season end at 9-4-5 after just missing out on qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Mercy qualified for the ECC Championship for the fifth time in six seasons under Velazquez. The postseason awards began to trickle in for the Mavericks as Holland was named D2CCA First Team All-Region and Hanken Tjostheim was tabbed Second Team All-Region. Holland started all 18 games and had three goals, three assists and nine points and helped lead a Mercy backline that allowed just 21 goals in 18 games. Hanken Tjostheim had a team-high 13 goals and 30 points, tying for the ECC lead in goals and ranking third in points. Fernandes, Holland and Hanken Tjostheim were also named United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region. Fernandes had four goals, six assists and 14 points. He ranked second on the team in points and goals and led the team in assists.
Mercy also excelled in the classroom, which has become a trademark under Velazquez. Rodriguez, Fernandes, Costa, Elvestad, Hanken Tjostheim and Schilbred-Eriksen were all named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team and Hanken Tjostheim was tabbed First Team Academic All-American, becoming Mercy's first First Team Academic All-American since 1990. Hanken Tjostheim was also named the ECC Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The team posted a 3.73 GPA in the fall and a 3.81 GPA in the spring.
Velazquez and the Mavericks had a successful 2023 campaign and will look to build upon that success in 2024.
Schedule for the Top-10 Moments of the 2023-24 Season
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next four weeks, the Mercy University Athletic Department will release the Top-10 moments one at a time beginning with the No. 10 moment on Monday, July 1st. The No. 1 moment will be unveiled on Monday, July 22nd.
No. 1 – July 22nd
No. 2 – July 19th
No. 3 - July 17th
No. 4 – July 15th
No. 5 – July 12th
No. 6 – Women's Soccer Qualifies for ECC Championship for 10th Straight Season and Advances to Semifinals
No. 7 – Field Hockey Qualifies for NE10 Championship for First Time
No. 8 – Softball Qualifies for ECC Championship for Fourth Straight Year
No. 9 – Baseball Wins 20 Games for Fourth Time Since 2018
No. 10 – Garrett Kirkland Sets School Record for Career Three-Pointers and Games Played
