COLONIA, NJ – The six teams that will compete for the 2024 East Coast Conference Men's Soccer Championship crown and the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Championship are set. No. 1 Queens and No. 2 Mercy have earned byes into the semifinals while No. 3 Roberts Wesleyan, No. 4 D'Youville, No. 5 Molloy, and No. 6 District of Columbia will battle in First Round action this Thursday, November 7.
2024 East Coast Conference Men's Soccer Championship Central
Defending-champion
Queens (11-4-2, 7-0-1 ECC) is the No. 1 seed after winning the program's first-ever Regular Season Championship. The Knights are undefeated in their last 12 matches (10-0-2) dating back to September 18 in large part due to Harry Cooke; the forward leads all of NCAA Division II in points (51) and ties for the nation's lead in goals (22), including a nation-leading eight game-winners. Paced by Cooke, Queens leads the ECC and ranks eighth nationally in scoring offense, hitting the back of the net an average of 2.71 times per match. Goalkeeper Thanasis Shehadeh (9-0-2, 6-0-1 ECC) anchors the defense with eight shutouts in 12 appearances, which ranks fifth in NCAA Division II, alongside an ECC-leading .449 goals against average and 87.2 save percentage. The Knights, coming off of their first-ever ECC Championship title in 2023, receive a bye for the First Round and will host the winner of Thursday's First Round match-up between No. 4 D'Youville and No. 5 Molloy.
The second ECC program without a loss this men's soccer season,
Mercy (9-2-5, 5-0-3 ECC) earns the other bye with the No. 2 seed and will host the winner of Thursday's First Round match-up between No. 3 Roberts Wesleyan and No. 6 District of Columbia. Johannes Hanken Tjostheim ties for the NCAA Division II lead in goals (22) and ranks second in points per game (3.13) and goals per game (1.38). The Mavericks rank fifth nationally in save percentage, stopping shots at a clip of 82.6 percent. ECC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year goalkeeper Eirik Elvestad sits second in the conference in goals against average (1.05), save percentage (.800), and shutouts (6). The Mavericks have reached three of the last five ECC finals, winning the title twice (2022, 2019).
No. 3
Roberts Wesleyan (9-6-1, 5-3-0 ECC) hosts No. 6
District of Columbia (5-7-4, 3-4-1 ECC) on Thursday afternoon in Rochester, NY.
The Redhawks won the regular season match-up over the Firebirds, 3-1, on October 19 in Washington, DC. Tamas Nagy dropped a hat trick and goalkeeper Eric Jewson made 10 saves in the full 90:00. In the ECC, Nagy ranks third in goals (12) and fourth in points (26) while Jewson ranks third in goals against average (1.27) and fourth in save percentage (.770) and shutouts (4). The Redhawks are still on the hunt for their first ECC Championship crown.
Ignacio Lopez scored UDC's lone goal while goalkeeper Sergio Becerra made six saves in the regular season match-up. In the ECC, Lopez ranks ninth in points (10) while Becerra ranks third in saves per game (5.22). The Firebirds have reached the ECC Championship Final twice, including as the No. 4 seed last season.
No. 4
D'Youville (5-7-4, 3-2-3 ECC) hosts No. 5
Molloy (6-7-4, 3-2-3 ECC) on Thursday evening in Buffalo, NY.
The Saints and Lions played to a 1-1 draw on October 12. D'Youville's Sean Burke (35') and Molloy's Mathew Broadhead (73') scored while both squads' freshman goalkeepers were strong in net, with DYU's Matthew Solorio (3 saves) and MOL's Callum Hunt (6 saves) allowing just one goal apiece in full-match performances.
D'Youville's Ethan Robinson ranks eighth in the ECC in points (14) and 10th in goals (5) while Solorio sits fifth in goals against average (1.50) and saves (58) and sixth in save percentage (.707). The Saints are on the hunt for their first ECC Championship crown.
Molloy's Sean Paulo Salgueiro ranks eighth in the ECC in goals (6) while Hunt ranks second in saves (67) and saves per game (4.19), third in shutouts (5), fourth in goals against average (1.35), and fifth in save percentage (.761). The Lions have reached the ECC Championship final twice in the last three years, winning it all in 2021 and finishing runner-up in 2022.
Tickets for each game of the championship can be purchased in advance
here. Ticket prices are $10 for general admission adults and $5 for students (with ID), senior citizens and children 5 and up; children under 5 are free of charge. In addition, cash will not be accepted, so walk-up tickets at the venue still must be purchased through the ECC website (QR code will be available at the gate).
Each match of the championship will be streamed live on the ECC Network. Watch the ECC Network at www.eccsportsnetwork.com or by downloading the ECC Network app. Find the app by searching "ECC Network" on Apple or Android mobile phones and tablets or on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku streaming devices.
2024 ECC Men's Soccer Championship
First Round - Thursday, November 7
4:00 PM – No. 6 District of Columbia at No. 3 Roberts Wesleyan (at Rochester, NY)
7:00 PM – No. 5 Molloy at No. 4 D'Youville (at Buffalo, NY)
Semifinals - Sunday, November 10
1:00 PM – Winner of UDC/RWU at No. 2 Mercy (at Dobbs Ferry, NY)
7:00 PM – Winner of MOL/DYU at No. 1 Queens (at Flushing, NY)
Final - Sunday, November 17 (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Semifinal winners