It’s playoff game day here in Westchester.
Mercy men’s soccer plunges into ECC tournament play today after a commanding 7-1 victory over Daeman last Saturday in their final regular season game. The seven goals scored was a season-best for the team; the perfect tune-up heading into their semifinal contest.
The Mavs earned themselves a first-round bye after taking the No. 2 seed. The luxury of extended rest is crucial after a long season, and now they’ll get to welcome No. 3 Queens to town with a full tank of gas ready to go.
It’s the second meeting between the teams this year, Mercy has already taken the trip to Flushing, NY in late September, sealing a 3-1 victory under the lights, but the pressure of playoff soccer is an entirely different animal.
The eye-popping storyline is the battle of top units, as the Knights’ No. 1 ranked scoring offense in the conference will clash against the Mavericks’s No. 1 ranked scoring defense. Mercy is currently holding their opponents to less than a goal per game.
Mercy’s defense is led by their shutdown pair of First Team ECC selectees, goaltender Eirik Elvestad and defender Julian Holland. Elvestad was named the conference’s Goalie of the Year for the second consecutive season and Holland was tabbed Co Defensive Player of the Year in his first season in Westchester.
Elvestad has been excellent since he arrived on campus two years ago, breaking a program record with his 17th career shutout reached in the first month, but the junior believes the talent he’s had in front of him has much to credit for his success.
“My teammates have helped me play to another level this year. The hard work we’ve put in has been reflected in our performances,” Elvestad said in an interview earlier this week.
Behind every championship winning team stands a great coach, backed by talented and committed players. Pedro Velasquez has had the cream of the crop over his last two seasons, coaching a total of 17 all conference selections in that span.
Valesquez has eight selectees on this year’s roster including four players who were named to the conference’s first team. This squad knows that all the pieces are in place to make a run, but that hasn’t swayed their underdog approach entering the postseason.
Though Mercy stood atop the mountain peak at the conclusion of last year, quite a few members of the team remember the feeling of missing out on the tournament in 2021. A sense of humility keeps a successful team grounded. The Mavericks certainly know that feeling.
“We go in knowing we have something to protect,” Elvestad stated. “But at the same time, we respect the other strong teams in our conference. We always keep that underdog mentality.”
So, what is the avenue to victory today for Mercy?
That would be the Mavericks’ offense leading the charge. The Knights have shown vulnerability on their defensive end this season, ranking fifth in the conference in goals allowed with 29 – nearly double the amount as Mercy (17).
The Mavs have scored at least four goals in all four of their October victories last month, possessing a mouth watering opportunity today to push Queens to that same limit.
As much firepower Mercy has on their back end, they have quite a bit of juice on their forward lines as well. Johannes Tanken Tjostheim and Carlos Fernandes headline this Maverick offense, both receiving First Team All Conference honors after lighting it up this season.
Tjostheim erupted for 28 points (12 goals, 4 assists) in his sophomore campaign. He is Velasquez’s second transfer to be named to the ECC First Team, showing just how good the coach’s fishing pole is in the transfer portal. The head coach caught lightning in a bottle when he paired the sophomore with Fernandes on the forward line. This tandem is the threat that makes this offense so feared.
Something to keep an eye out for today is the health of Eirik Elvestad, who reportedly suffered a hand injury during practice this week. Sources within the program believe Elvestad will still play today’s match, providing a sigh of relief to Mercy fans, but this is a situation to be monitored given his irreplaceable impact.
It’s going to take a full team effort for the Mavs to return back to the conference title game, but after watching them over the last month, the Mercy faithful should feel confident heading into this showdown. This is Velasquez’s fifth ECC tournament appearance since he took over in 2016, winning two championships already in his career.
Not only does this team have the talent, but they have a richness of experience at the helm.
The Mavericks will try to put it all together as they look to keep their season alive.
