Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. – Powered by goals from junior Haley Noble (Torrance, Calif. / Torrance) and senior Heidi Serna (West Covina, Calif. / South Hills), the No. 2 seeded Mercy College women's soccer team defeated No. 4 seeded LIU Post, 2-0, to earn the East Region Championship in the Third Round of the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship on Friday afternoon at Mercy Field.
The Mavericks (18-3) set a new school record for wins a season and are on to the Quarterfinals for the first time in program history. Mercy will take on Atlantic Region Champion West Chester University on Sunday, November 19th at 12 p.m. in a National Quarterfinal matchup. The Pioneers (17-4-1) see their season come to an end after losing the season series to Mercy, 2-1.
Noble led the Mavericks with one goal, one assist, and one shot on goal. Serna recorded one goal off two shots. Corinna Ferrante (Patchogue, N.Y. / Patchogue-Medford) added three shots for the Mavericks offense. Freshman Melissa Torres (La Mirada, Calif./La Mirada) played the full 90 minutes in goal and made seven saves to pick up her sixth shutout of the season.
Andrea Huntzinger and Julia Duffy both recorded two shots on goal for the Pioneers. Hillevi Eklow played a full 90 minutes in the net and made two saves for the loss.
The first half of the contest started out slow, as neither team were able to record a shot in the first eleven minutes of play. The first shot of the game would come from Noble, who was able to find the back of the net to put the Mavericks on the board with a 1-0 lead. The Pioneers continued to fight for the remainder of the half, ripping six shots and forcing Torres to make three saves. Unable to find the back of the net again, the Mavericks entered halftime with a 1-0 lead.
Both teams were hungry for a goal in the second half, as a combined 15 shots were taken in the 45 minutes of action. Noble kept the offensive pressure as she continued to fire off shots on goal but could not get past Eklow. After three shots and two corner kicks from the Pioneers, Serna was able to record the second goal for the Mavericks off of an assist from Noble, giving the Mavericks a 2-0 lead in the 81st minute of play. Despite taking nine shots in the second half, the Pioneers were unable to find the back of the net and eventually fell 2-0 to the Mavericks.
Despite not being able to score, the Pioneers held a 15-7 advantage in shots and a 5-2 edge in corner kicks.
Head Coach Jonathan Feinstein and the Mavericks resume action on Sunday at 12 p.m. when they face West Chester University in a Quarterfinal matchup at Mercy Field with the winner advancing to the Semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri.
Provided by the Mercy Sports Information Department.
