DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (July 21, 2025) – For the 10th year, Mercy University Athletics will recap the year by counting down the Top-10 most memorable moments of the 2024-25 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 three weeks culminating with the top moment from the 2024-25 athletic year being unveiled on Friday, August 1st.
No. 6 – Men's Soccer Advances to ECC Championship Semifinal and is Nationally-Ranked Throughout Season
Coming in at No. 6 in our 2024-25 Top-10 Moments is men's soccer who advanced to the ECC Championship Semifinal and was nationally-ranked throughout the season.
Mercy entered the 2024 season picked second in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 9-4-5 in 2023. Senior Eirik Elvestad was named ECC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
The Mavericks opened their 2024 season on September 5th with a 0-0 draw against East Stroudsburg. Elvestad made a career-high 12 saves in the game. Following the season-opening game, Elvestad was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week.
Head Coach Pedro Velazquez and the Mavericks picked up their first win of the season on September 10th when they earned a 2-0 win at RV Adelphi. Junior Johannes Hanken Tjostheim scored two goals, senior Martin Penafiel had an assist and Elvestad made five saves. Mercy defeated the Panthers for the first time since 2021.
The Mavericks entered the top 10 of the United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll at No. 9. Mercy earned their second straight win when they opened ECC play with a 5-0 win at Staten Island on September 13th. Hanken Tjostheim scored a career-high four goals and junior Mateo Bacigalupo also scored. Mercy posted their third straight shutout to open the season and won their ECC opener for the sixth straight season. After the pair of wins, Hanken Tjostheim was named ECC Offensive Player of the Week, graduate student Benjamin Van Buren was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week and Elvestad was named to the Honor Roll.
Mercy entered the top 25 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Poll at No. 24 and was ranked No. 3 in the East Region Poll. The Mavericks extended their winning streak to three games with a 4-0 win over RV West Chester on September 18th. Hanken Tjostheim had a game-high two goals, senior Julian Holland had a game-high three assists and juniors Hugo Martin and Santiago Serrano also scored as Mercy improved to 3-0-1 with their fourth straight shutout. The Mavericks opened their season with four straight shutouts for the first time since 2013.
The Mavericks shutout streak came to an end on September 21st when they earned a 1-1 draw against D'Youville. Bacigalupo scored and Elvestad made a game-high seven saves. Following the week, Holland was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week and Hanken Tjostheim and Elvestad were tabbed to the Honor Roll.
Velazquez and the Mavericks sat at No. 25 nationally and No. 3 in the East Region Poll, heading into their game at UDC on September 28th. Hanken Tjostheim had a game-high two goals and Martin, sophomore Marcel Duffau and Holland also scored as Mercy earned a 5-1 win. The Mavericks moved to 4-0-2 overall and 2-0-1 in ECC play. Holland and Hanken Tjostheim were named to the ECC Honor Roll on September 30th.
On October 1st, Mercy jumped up to No. 14 nationally and No. 2 in the East Region Poll. Goals from Hanken Tjostheim and Martin helped lead the Mavericks to a 2-2 draw at Molloy on October 2nd. Mercy capped off the week with a 5-0 win over Roberts Wesleyan on October 5th. Hanken Tjostheim had a game-high two goals and Bacigalupo, and juniors Nicolas Cerda and Mohamed Souhail also scored. Mercy improved to 5-0-3 overall and 3-0-2 in ECC play. The Mavericks were off to their best start since 2019. After the pair of games, Elvestad was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week and Hanken Tjostheim was tabbed to the Honor Roll.
Mercy jumped up to No. 10 nationally and was No. 2 in the East Region, entering the matchup at Millersville on October 12th. Elvestad made a game-high two saves, but the Marauders handed the Mavericks their first loss of the season by a score of 1-0.
Following the loss, Mercy dropped to No. 20 nationally and No. 3 in the East Region Poll. The Mavericks got back into the win column when they earned a 4-1 win over American International on October 16th. Hanken Tjostheim, Holland and senior Antonio Sas scored as Mercy moved to 6-1-4 on the year.
Velazquez and the Mavericks ended the week with a 4-1 home loss to No. 6 Southern New Hampshire on October 20th. Penafiel scored and Elvestad had a game-high six saves. Hanken Tjostheim and Sas were named to the ECC Honor Roll on October 21st.
The Mavericks sat at No. 20 nationally and No. 3 in the East Region, entering their game against Queens on October 23rd. Hanken Tjostheim and freshman Herman Borke scored and senior Simon Steffensen had a game-high-tying six saves as Mercy earned a 2-2 draw against the Knights. The Mavericks improved to 6-2-5 overall and 3-0-3 in ECC play.
Mercy capped off the week with a convincing 4-0 win at Daemen on October 26th. Hanken Tjostheim, Borke, Serrano and Bacigalupo scored goals in the win. With the win, the Mavericks secured their sixth ECC Championship berth in seven seasons. Holland, Hanken Tjostheim and Borke were named to the ECC Honor Roll.
The Mavericks were ranked No. 23 nationally and No. 3 in the East Region Poll. Mercy was also under consideration for an NCAA Tournament berth in the first regional rankings. The Mavericks picked up another win when they earned a 4-2 win at Wilmington on October 30th. Hanken Tjostheim had a hat-trick and an assist, Sas also scored and Elvestad made a game-high seven saves, including his 200th career save. Mercy moved to 8-2-5 on the year and defeated the Wildcats for the first time since 2010.
Velazquez and the Mavericks capped off the regular season with a 3-1 Senior Day win over St. Thomas Aquinas on November 2nd. In a ceremony prior to the game, Steffensen, Joey Dos Santos, Joaquin Gonzalez Mendoza, Holland, Jorgen Krohn-Pettersen, Franco Acri, Hanken Tjostheim, Mathias Schilbred-Eriksen, Juan Jose Alvarez Acosta, Penafiel, Sas, Juan Campillo Casas, Van Buren and Elvestad were recognized for their contributions to the program. Hanken Tjostheim scored two goals, and Serrano had a goal and an assist as Mercy ended the regular season 9-2-5 overall and 5-0-3 in ECC play. The Mavericks went unbeaten in ECC play for the second straight year. Mercy secured the No. 2 seed in the following week's ECC Championship and would host a Semifinal game on November 10th. Hanken Tjostheim was named ECC Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Serrano was tabbed to the Honor Roll.
Prior to the ECC Championship, Hanken Tjostheim was named ECC Offensive Player of the Year and Holland was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year. Hanken Tjostheim, Holland, Duffau, Serrano and Van Buren were named First Team All-ECC and Schilbred-Eriksen, Krohn-Pettersen, and Elvestad were named Second Team All-ECC. The eight All-Conference recipients were the most in the ECC.
Mercy sat at No. 19 nationally, No. 3 in the East Region Poll and were No. 9 in the NCAA Regional Rankings, entering the ECC Championship. The Mavericks hosted No. 6 seed District of Columbia on November 10th, and despite a goal from Bacigalupo and an assist from Martin, the Mavericks dropped a 2-1 decision to the Firebirds. Mercy ended the season 9-3-5 and just missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
After the season was over, the awards began to come in for the Mavericks. Hanken Tjostheim and Holland were named D2CCA First Team All-Region and Van Buren was named Second Team All-Region. Hanken Tjostheim and Holland were also named United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region and Elvestad and Schilbred-Eriksen were named Second Team All-Region.
Hanken Tjostheim was also named D2CCA First Team All-American and United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American. The forward had a team-high 50 points on 22 goals and six assists, tying the single-season school record for goals. The junior ranked second in Division II in goals per game (1.29), third in points per game (2.94) and was fourth in goals and points. He recorded at least one point in 12 of 17 games and recorded his 100th career point.
The team also excelled in the classroom with a school-record four Mavericks named to College Sports Communicators Academic All-Americans. Hanken Tjostheim earned First Team honors, Krohn-Pettersen took home Second Team honors and Schilbred-Eriksen and Van Buren earned Third Team honors. Krohn-Pettersen also earned the ECC Elite 20 Award. Holland was also named the ECC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's soccer and the team earned the ECC Academic Team of Excellence. Mercy posted the highest cumulative GPA of all ECC men's soccer teams with a 3.75 GPA, earning the award for a conference-leading sixth consecutive year.
Schedule for the Top-10 Moments of the 2024-25 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 Friday, July 11th. The No. 1 moment will be unveiled on Friday, August 1st.
No. 1 – August 1st
No. 2 – July 30th
No. 3 – July 28th
No. 4 – July 25th
No. 5 – July 23rd
No. 6 – July 21st
No. 7 – Softball Records Most Wins Since 2019 and Wins First ECC Championship Game Since 2021
No. 8 - Women's Soccer Qualifies for ECC Championship for 11th Straight Season and Advances to Semifinals
No. 9 – Men's Basketball Records Most Wins Since 2019 and Nearly Qualifies for ECC Championship
No. 10 – Field Hockey Gets Off to Best Start in Program History and Nearly Qualifies for NE10 Championship
