DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – For the 11th year, Mercy University Athletics will recap the year by counting down the Top 10 most memorable moments of the 2025-26 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 2025-26 athletic year being unveiled on Monday, August 3rd.
No. 5 – Women's Soccer Wins ECC Regular Season Championship and Advances to Second Round of NCAA Tournament
Checking in at No. 5 in our 2025-26 Top 10 Moments is women's soccer who won the ECC Regular Season Championship and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Head Coach Jack Nicholson and the Mavericks entered the 2025 season picked fourth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 10-8-2 in 2024.
Mercy opened their 2025 season on September 4th with a convincing 5-1 win over Dominican at Mercy Field. Senior Ancksu Dixon had a hat trick and sophomore Hailey Metzger recorded a goal and three assists as the Mavericks won their season opener for the first time since 2021.
The Mavericks capped off the opening week of the season with a 3-0 win over Goldey-Beacom on September 7th at Mercy Field. Freshman Gracie DiPalo, senior Maleah Tarin and Metzger scored as Mercy started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2017. After the opening week, Metzger and DiPalo were named ECC Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week and Dixon was tabbed to the Honor Roll.
Nicholson and the Mavericks were ranked No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll on September 9th. Mercy hosted Chestnut Hill on September 13th and earned a 3-0 win with junior Ella Gallino, Dixon and Metzger scoring. Dixon tied the school record with her 86th career point as Mercy moved to 3-0 for the first time since 2013. Freshman Casey Szczotka was named ECC Rookie of the Week on September 15th and Gallino and Dixon were tabbed to the Honor Roll.
Mercy made it four wins in a row to start the season when they earned a 2-1 win at Felician on September 17th. Graduate student Madison Rosa scored the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute, off an assist from Metzger, as the Mavericks improved to 4-0 on the year.
The Mavericks hosted defending ECC Champion Molloy in their ECC opener on September 20th. Freshman Camila Salvador scored her first collegiate goal and Dixon also scored as Mercy earned a 2-2 draw. Dixon set a new school record with her 88 career points, surpassing the previous record of 86 set by Haley Noble in 2018. Dixon and Salvador were named to the ECC Honor Roll on September 22nd.
Mercy was receiving votes nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and was ranked No. 4 in the East Region Poll on September 23rd. The Mavericks faced No. 14 Wilmington at Mercy Field on September 24th. Salvador and Dixon both had a goal and an assist as Mercy earned a 3-1 upset win over the Wildcats. The win was the first for Nicholson over a nationally ranked team. Dixon tied the school record for goals in a career with 34.
The Mavericks moved to 6-0-1 on the year following a 1-0 win at Queens on September 27th. Freshman Rosa Pistone scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute following an assist from Metzger. Mercy was off to their best start in program history at 6-0-1. Salvador was named ECC Rookie of the Week on September 29th and Dixon and junior Sarah Lill Hanks were tabbed to the Honor Roll.
Nicholson and the Mavericks moved into the Top 25 nationally at No. 20 and were ranked No. 2 in the East Region Poll on September 30th. Mercy opened the month of October, earning a 6-3 win over Holy Family on October 1st. Metzger had two goals and an assist, DiPalo scored the game-winning goal and Dixon added a goal and three assists. Dixon set a new school record with her 35th career goal, surpassing the previous record of 34 set by Haley Noble in 2018. Dixon now holds the school record in goals, assists, and points. Gallino also scored and Szczotka recorded her first career goal.
Mercy won their fourth straight game with a 1-0 win at 2025 NCAA Tournament participant Saint Anselm on October 4th. Metzger scored the game-winning goal in the 53rd minute and sophomore Anneliese Becker made three saves as Mercy moved to 8-0-1 on the year. Metzger and Szczotka were named ECC Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week on October 6th, and Dixon was tabbed to the Honor Roll.
The Mavericks moved up to No. 13 nationally and No. 1 in the East Region Poll ahead of their matchup against Pace on October 7th. Szczotka scored the game-winning goal in the 46th minute, off a Metzger assist, and Becker made five saves as Mercy moved to 9-0-1. Becker recorded her 100th career save, becoming the eighth goalie in program history to record 100 career saves. Mercy matched their win total from last year with a 1-0 win over regionally-ranked Daemen on October 11th. DiPalo scored the game-winning goal in the 4th minute as Mercy moved to 10-0-1 overall and 2-0-1 in ECC play. Becker and Szczotka were named ECC Co-Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week on October 13th and DiPalo earned Honor Roll recognition.
Nicholson and the Mavericks moved up to No. 11 nationally on October 14th. Dixon scored a goal, but Mercy suffered their first loss of the season, 2-1, to Southern New Hampshire on October 15th. The Mavericks capped off the week with a 0-0 draw at Roberts Wesleyan on October 18th.
Mercy was ranked No. 16 nationally and No. 2 in the East Region Poll on October 21st. The Mavericks got back into the win column with a 3-1 win at St. Thomas Aquinas on October 22nd. Dixon scored a game-high two goals and seniors Emma Best and Ella Brower both added assists. Dixon recorded her 100th career point, becoming the first Maverick in program history to reach the mark. Mercy now had their most wins since 2022 and secured their 12th straight ECC Championship berth.
The Mavericks finished off the week with a 2-0 Senior Day win over Staten Island on October 25th. Prior to the game, Mercy honored Rosa, Stacy Avendano, Brower, Anna Deutscher, Dixon, Best, Tarin, and Rita-Marie Masi. Salvador and Dixon both scored as Mercy secured a bye to the Semifinals of the ECC Championship. Dixon was named ECC Offensive Player of the Week and Salvador was tabbed Rookie of the Week on October 27th.
Mercy sat at No. 15 nationally and No. 2 in the East Region Poll ahead of their matchup against Franklin Pierce on October 29th. Becker made a game-high eight saves as the Mavericks dropped a 2-0 decision to the Ravens.
Nicholson and the Mavericks ended the regular season with a convincing 6-2 win at D'Youville on November 1st, securing their first ECC Regular Season Championship since 2022. Rosa, Metzger, Salvador, Dixon, Szczotka and sophomore Sophia Campites scored as Mercy ended the regular season 13-2-2 overall and 5-0-2 in ECC play. The regular season championship was the first under Nicholson and the fourth in program history. The Mavericks finished unbeaten in ECC play for the first time since 2022 and the 13 regular season wins were the most since 2019. Mercy earned the No. 1 seed in the following week's ECC Championship and would host a semifinal matchup on November 9th. Salvador was named ECC Rookie of the Week on November 3rd, and Metzger was tabbed to the Honor Roll.
Prior to their ECC Championship Semifinal matchup, Lill Hanks was named ECC Defensive Player of the Year, Szczotka was tabbed Rookie of the Year and Nicholson earned Coach of the Year. A school-record-tying 11 Mavericks were named to the ECC All-Conference Teams. Lill Hanks, Dixon, Szczotka and Salvador were named First Team All-Conference, Metzger, sophomore Alyssa Santiago, and Best were named Second Team All-Conference and Deutscher, Tarin, Brower, and Becker earned Third Team All-Conference.
The Mavericks hosted No. 4 seed Daemen in an ECC Championship Semifinal tilt on November 9th. Rosa had a game-high two goals and Metzger dished out a game-high three assists as Mercy earned a 4-1 win. Metzger recorded her 12th assist of the season, tying the single season school record set previously by Jessica DeLeon in 2014. The Mavericks advanced to the Final for the first time since 2022 and their 14 wins were now the most since 2022. Mercy would face No. 3 seed Roberts Wesleyan in the ECC Championship Final on November 16th.
Becker made four saves in the ECC Championship Final, but a Jenna Northup goal in the 17th minute proved to be the game winner, giving the Redhawks their first ECC Championship.
Mercy sat at 14-3-2 entering the NCAA Tournament selection show on November 17th. The Mavericks heard their named called and received the No. 3 seed in the East Region. Mercy would face No. 6 seed Roberts Wesleyan in a rematch of the ECC Championship Final at Franklin Pierce on November 21st. The Mavericks earned their eighth NCAA Tournament berth and the first for Nicholson.
The Mavericks faced Roberts Wesleyan in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on November 21st. Becker made a game-high-tying seven saves and Best, Gallino, Lill Hanks and Salvador recorded penalty kick goals as Mercy earned a 0-0 draw, advancing to the Second Round after winning penalty kicks, 4-3. The Mavericks advanced to the Second Round for the first time since 2022 and would play at No. 2 seed Franklin Pierce in the Second Round on November 23rd.
Mercy held their own against the Ravens with Szczotka giving the Mavericks a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute, off a Dixon assist. The Mavericks headed into halftime with a 1-0 lead. Franklin Pierce scored the tying goal in the 65th minute and the winning goal in the 90th minute, giving the Ravens a 2-1 win. Becker made a game-high nine saves as Mercy saw their season come to an end at 14-4-3. The Mavericks saw their season come to an end in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022 and ended the year with their most wins since 2022.
Nicholson and the Mavericks ended the season receiving votes nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. The awards began to pour in for Mercy once the season ended with Lill Hanks being named D2CCA First Team All-Region, and Dixon, Metzger, Salvador and Szczotka being named Second Team All-Region. Dixon was also named United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region. Szczotka and Salvador were tabbed Second Team All-Region and Hanks and Metzger earned Third Team All-Region.
The Mavericks also excelled in the classroom with Brower, Dixon, Lill Hanks, Gallino and Metzger being named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team. Lill Hanks was also named the ECC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Women's Soccer, and 27 student-athletes were named to the ECC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
Nicholson and the Mavericks will look to build upon their successful 2025 season in 2026.
Schedule for the Top 10 Moments of the 2025-26 Season
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next three 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 13th. The No. 1 moment will be unveiled on Monday, August 3rd.
No. 1 – August 3rd
No. 2 – July 31st
No. 3 – July 29th
No. 4 - July 27th
No. 5 – July 24th
No. 6 – Baseball Finishes as ECC Runner-Up for First Time
No. 7 – Men's Lacrosse Qualifies for ECC Championship for 11th Straight Season and Ends Season Receiving Votes Nationally
No. 8 – Men's Soccer Qualifies for ECC Championship for Seventh Time in Eight Seasons
No. 9 – Field Hockey Nearly Qualifies for NE10 Championship
No. 10 – Men's Basketball Earns ECC Academic Team of Excellence and Kohen Rowbatham is Named Third Team All-ECC and All-Met Honorable Mention
