FLUSHING, N.Y. (Sept. 23, 2023) – Powered by a game-high six saves from junior Eirik Elvestad (Oslo, Norway/Blindern VGS) and goals from sophomore Mateo Bacigalupo (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Colegio Cardenal Newman) and junior Luís Silva (Esposende, Portugal/Knox College), the Mercy University men's soccer team earned a 3-1 win over regionally-ranked ECC foe Queens College on Saturday night at Knights Field.
The Mavericks (4-1-2, 2-0 ECC) remain undefeated in ECC play and are unbeaten in their last six games. Mercy defeats the Knights (3-3-1, 1-1 ECC) for the seventh straight time. Queens entered the game ranked sixth in the United Soccer Coaches East Region Poll.
Elvestad made a game-high six saves and recorded his 100th career save in the win. The junior now has 102 career saves becoming the eighth goalkeeper in Mercy history to record 100 career saves. Bacigalupo recorded his second goal of the season and Silva netted his first goal of the season. Junior Julian Holland (Tokyo, Japan/Iowa Western CC) added his first assist of the season and graduate student Phillimon Bédard-Khalid (Miami, Fla./Presbyterian College) dished out his second assist of the season.
Queens was led by Joaquim Johnson who scored and by Juan Cruz Ladino who made two saves to take the loss.
Both goalkeepers made an early save in the contest before Bacigalupo scored in the 28th minute following a Queens turnover, chipping the ball over Cruz Ladino, to give Mercy a 1-0 lead.
Silva made it 2-0 following a double assist from Holland and Bédard-Khalid in the 31st minute after a Mercy corner. The Mavericks headed into halftime with a 2-0 lead after Elvestad made three saves in the final 10 minutes of the half to keep Queens scoreless.
The Knights inched closer with a goal by Johnson in the 54th minute to make it 2-1.
Mercy forced Cruz Ladino to make a save in the 63rd minute and the Mavericks also had a shot go off the right post before a ball went off a Queens defender and into the back of the net to make it 3-1 after an own goal.
The Mavericks backline held Queens without a shot on goal the rest of the way and Mercy came away with the impressive 3-1 road win.
Queens held a 16-13 edge in shots and a 7-5 edge in shots on goal. Mercy held a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.
Head Coach Pedro Velazquez and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, September 27th when they host Staten Island at 12 p.m.
