Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. – Powered by three penalty kick saves from junior Joel Serrano (Arecibo, P.R./Marshalltown CC), the No. 1 seeded Mercy College men's soccer team and the No. 2 seeded University of Bridgeport played to a 0-0 tie with the Mavericks winning in penalty kicks, 3-1, in the ECC Men's Soccer Championship Final on Saturday afternoon at Mercy Field.
The Mavericks (14-3-3) win their first ECC Championship since 2004 and earn their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Purple Knights (11-5-2) will await a possible NCAA berth.
Serrano made three saves in regulation and overtimes and three penalty kick saves to earn Most Outstanding Player. Senior Manuel Achondo (Santiago, Chile/Colegio Del Verbo Divino) had a team-high two shots on goal and Achondo, seniors Ignacio Mangada (Alicante, Spain/Campbellsville University) and Santiago Corral (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Instituto Francesco Faa Di Bruno) connected on their penalty kick attempts.
Bridgeport received two shots on goal from Oscar Facey and Carlos Tofern made nine saves. Nikolai Vadseth made the lone penalty kick for the Purple Knights.
Tofern made three saves in the first half and Serrano stopped one shot to send the teams into halftime tied at 0-0.
Facey recorded the first shot on goal of the second half in the 59th minute, but Serrano made the save to keep the game at 0-0. Mangada had a late scoring opportunity in the 84th minute but the senior could not get enough on the shot and Tofern made the save. Sophomore Aaron Denk-Gracia (Mannheim, Germany/Liselotte-Gymnasium Mannheim) also had a chance in the 88th minute but his shot hit the left post to keep the score at 0-0 after regulation.
Serrano made a save to open the first overtime and Tofern made a pair of saves on senior Maximiliano Rebolledo-Camus (Santiago, Chile/Saint George's College) and Achondo shots to send the game into a second overtime.
Mercy recorded all five shots in the second overtime period but Tofern made three more saves to send the game into a penalty kick shootout.
Achondo opened the penalty kick shootout with a make to give Mercy a 1-0 lead. Serrano then stepped up and stopped a Facey kick to keep it a 1-0. Mangada then found the back of the net to put Mercy up 2-0. Vadseth followed with a make to make it 2-1 before Rebolleodo-Camus hit the post to give Bridgeport an opening. However, Serrano came up big for Mercy and stopped an Erlend Skagestad kick to keep Mercy in front 2-1. Corral then delivered to put the Mavericks up 3-1. Serrano then came up with his biggest save as a Maverick on a Yoel Salvador kick to give Mercy the ECC Championship.
Mercy held a 27-9 edge in shots and a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.
Provided by Mercy Sports Information Department.
