DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – Powered by 10 different Mavericks recording a point, the No. 18 Mercy University Women's Lacrosse Team earned a 21-6 Senior Day and First Responders Day win over ECC foe D'Youville University on Saturday afternoon at Mercy Field to secure the ECC Regular Season Championship.

In a ceremony prior to the game, Mercy honored seniors Kaci Bates (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon), Emily Marino (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon), Rita-Marie-Masi (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot), Andrea Mott (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place), Maeghan Callow (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) and Olivia LaMonica (Oak Ridge, N.J./Jefferson Township) and graduate student Kate McNally (Hillburn, N.Y./SUNY Oswego) for their contributions to the program.

The Mavericks (13-3, 6-0 ECC) end the regular season with two straight wins and improve to 9-0 all-time against the Saints (6-9, 3-3 ECC). Mercy has secured their sixth ECC Regular Season Championship in program history, their third outright championship and first outright championship since 2022. The Mavericks have secured the top seed in next week's ECC Women's Lacrosse Championship and will host D'Youville in a Semifinal on Wednesday, April 29th.

Mercy opened the game with strong defensive pressure, quickly converting a turnover by D'Youville into the first goal by sophomore Ashlinn Kelly (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) at 12:38. A goal by Lily Buckley tied the game briefly at 1-1 at 11:59. Shortly afterward, junior Riley Wallace (Islip, N.Y./Islip) and sophomore Kayden Meyer (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd) each found the back of the net, extending the Mavericks' lead to 3-1. Wallace scored again to put Mercy up 4-1 at 8:31.

Freshman Ava Franco's (Coram, N.Y./Longwood) goal made it 5-1 and Meyer scored again to give Mercy a 6-1 lead at 3:28. D'Youville responded with a late surge, netting two goals in the final minutes, narrowing Mercy's lead to 6-3 as the quarter ended.

Mercy opened the second quarter with a strong offensive display, capitalizing on a free position attempt with sophomore Angela Taddeo's (Babylon, N.Y./Stony Brook University) goal at 14:31. This set the tone for an impressive scoring run. Mott, assisted by Franco, extended the lead shortly after, marking the beginning of Mercy's dominant stretch.

Mercy continued to control the pace, with Mott scoring again, even while a woman down, and Meyer adding another, assisted by Kelly to make it 10-3 at 10:53. Franco played a pivotal role in distribution, assisting multiple goals, including another woman-up goal by Mott. The quarter concluded with Mercy extending its lead to 15-3, showcasing a commanding performance on both ends of the field.

Mercy opened the third quarter with a strong defensive play as LaMonica saved a free position shot by D'Youville's Sam Newlin. This set the stage for Mercy, as Wallace scored a woman-down goal at 12:14, marking the first of several successful offensive drives in the quarter. Junior Juliana Talenti (Bethpage, N.Y./Bethpage) followed with a goal assisted by Meyer, extending Mercy's lead to 17-3 at 10:06.

The momentum continued for Mercy with Wallace scoring again, and Talenti adding another goal with an assist from Mott, making it 19-3 at 6:05. D'Youville managed to respond with a goal from Madison Handley, but Mercy maintained control through disciplined play. Kelly capitalized on a free position attempt to close the quarter, cementing a 20-4 lead for Mercy by the end of the third.

Mercy opened the fourth quarter with a quick offensive push, as freshman Sophia Pittoni (Carle Place, N.Y./Carle Place) found the back of the net at 12:14, extending the lead to 21-4.

D'Youville responded with a goal by Newlin at 9:05, narrowing the deficit. Mercy's defense, anchored by freshman Emma Batter (Port Jefferson, N.Y./Port Jefferson) in goal, thwarted further attempts, including a save on a shot by Newlin. However, D'Youville managed another goal from Lily Buckley at 4:47, assisted by Newlin. The quarter ended with Mercy holding firm, concluding with a 21-6 victory.

Mercy was led by Franco who had a game-high and career-high-tying six points on two goals and four assists. Meyer added five points on three goals and two assists and Wallace recorded a game-high four goals. Mott and Kelly each had three goals and an assist and Talenti had two goals. Taddeo, Pittoni, Grzelaczyk and Callow each added a goal. Bates, Masi, freshman Keira Laibach (Massapequa, N.Y./St. Dominic) and sophomore Leanna Kwarta (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) each had a game-high-tying two caused turnovers. Franco and Callow each had a team-high four draw controls. LaMonica made six saves in 51:10 minutes of action to earn the win. Batter made two saves in the final 8:50.

D'Youville was led by Newlin who had a team-high three points on two goals and an assist. Kaylee Farias made eight saves to take the loss.

Mercy held a 38-18 edge in shots, a 20-6 edge in ground balls and D'Youville held an 18-11 edge in draw controls.

Head Coach Dawn Sachs and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, April 29th when they host D'Youville in an ECC Championship Semifinal.