Men's Soccer

No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas and No. 2 D’Youville Clinch Spots in the ECC Men’s Soccer Championship Final

No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas – 2 | No. 4 Mercy – 1
Spartan Field | Sparkill, NY
Box Score
 
SPARKILL, N.Y. – No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (10-4-4, 6-0-2 ECC) beat No. 4 Mercy (12-5-3, 4-3-1 ECC), ranked #18 nationally, 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in the 2026 ECC Men's Soccer Championship Semifinal Round at Spartan Field in Sparkill, NY.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas capitalized first, just four minutes into action, when Zanier Briscoe crossed a pass to Jalen Moni who found the back of the net. Mercy got its big break when a throw in by Erlend Skalstad to John Hollis in the box was tapped off the bounce to Marvin Spets who flicked it into the near post to equalize the game in the 39th minute. The Spartans and the Mavericks went into the half knotted up and with their first half stats identical. They both equally scored a goal, had seven shots, had four shots on goal and had one corner apiece.
 
In the 62nd minute, St. Thomas Aquinas would get the go-ahead goal and retake the lead with Moni finding the back of the net for the second time in the afternoon. Mercy keeper Sean Green came out of the net to play a long pass, that Moni tracked down, beating Green, and scoring the easy empty net goal to put STAC up 2-1. The Spartans held firm with the one-goal lead, but Mercy would have one last opportunity late in the contest as Joel Martinez would take a shot in 88th minute that missed wide left.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas makes the ECC Men’s Soccer Championship Final for the second time in program history, with its only other trip in the title match coming back in 2021. The Spartans will host the Final on Sunday, November 8 at noon.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas Notes
  • Moni led the way for STAC in the game with his two goals, six shots and five shots on goal.
  • The brace for Moni was his first of the season and it was his team-leading eighth and ninth goals of the season.
  • Briscoe dished out his second assist of the year.
  • Nicolas Pavlou and Mazin Daar followed with three shots each, while Pavlou had one shot on goal.
  • Joaquim Cardoso added a pair of shots and was second on the team with two shots finding the target.
  • The Spartans held a slight advantage in shots (18-15) and shots on goal (10-6).
  • Making his 13th start in goal for the Spartans was Dante Muntane, who played the full game and had five saves.
 
Mercy Notes
  • Mercy finished its day with 15 shots, six shots on goal, and held an edge in corner kicks (5-1), with four coming in the second half.
  • The Mavericks were led by Spets who tallied his third goal of the year, while leading the team with four shots and two shots on the mark.
  • The duo of 2026 ECC Offensive Player of the Year Jacob Lund-Iversen and Martinez each accounted for two shots with two of Lund-Iversen’s on goal.
  • Santiago Dutilh also chipped in with a pair of shots and each his two were on goal.
  • Hollis handed out his 15th assists, which ranks first in the nation.
  • Skalstad logged his first assist of the season.
  • Starting keeper Green was on the losing end, making seven saves in the contests.
 
No. 2 D’Youville – 2 | No. 3 Molloy – 0
Dobson Field | Buffalo, NY
Box Score
 
BUFFALO, N.Y. – No. 2 D’Youville (8-5-5, 4-1-3 ECC) earned a 2-0 shutout win over No. 3 Molloy (5-4-8, 3-1-4 ECC) in the 2026 ECC Men's Soccer Championship Semifinal Round nightcap on Sunday at Dobson Field in Buffalo, NY.
 
Ethan Robinson put D’Youville on the scoreboard in the first half using his speed and dribbling to get free before firing off a shot from 20 yards out to the bottom right for the unassisted goal in the 19th minute. The score remained 1-0 in favor of the Saints at halftime. At the interval the Saints had five shots with three on goal, while the Lions had four shots and one on the mark. Each team recorded one corner kick in the half as well.
 
Still leading by a goal in the second half, D’Youville added an insurance marker early on in the second half. Off a set piece in the 63rd minute, Shawn Richardson sent in a cross that Jonas Driesch received and delivered to Omar Daoudi who tapped in the goal to give the Saints a 2-0 lead. Molloy only managed to let off one shot following the last goal, which was saved by 2026 ECC Goalkeeper of the Year Matthew Solorio in the 89th minute to preserve the clean sheet win.
 
D’Youville makes its first-ever ECC Men’s Soccer Championship Final.
 
D’Youville Notes
  • D’Youville almost doubled up Molloy in shots (15-8) and did double them up in shots on goal (6-3).
  • Robinson scored his fifth goal of the season and his third game-winning goal, which leads the Saints.
  • Daoudi’s second half goal was his fourth on the year.
  • Driesch recorded his first point of the season with his assist on the Daoudi’s goal.
  • A trio of Saints produced three shots to lead the team, and they included Daoudi, Richardson, and Ewan Brodie.
  • Solorio claimed his ninth clean sheet this season in net and had six saves in 90 minutes.
  • The win was the first ECC postseason victory in program history for D’Youville, dropping its only other tournament game in 2024.
 
Molloy Notes
  • The Lions, which poured in 20 shots in the First Round, only got off eight shots in the Semifinals, with three on goal.
  • The eight shots were contributed by eight different players.
  • Matt Star, Sean Lee, and Yahel Caudillo Paramo each had a shot on goal to lead the Lions.
  • Molloy had a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks.
  • Callum Hunt got his ninth starting nod at goalkeeper in the match, finishing up his night with four saves.
***
Founded as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference in 1989 and rechristened the East Coast Conference in July 2006, the ECC was formed to enhance intercollegiate athletic competition among member institutions and to assist them in integrating athletics into their academic program in a fiscally sound way. The ECC is committed to the highest standards of scholarship, sportsmanship, teamwork, and citizenship. Its mission is to promote the total person concept in its student-athletes, which stresses the abilities to excel in academic achievement, athletic competition, and positive character traits. East Coast Conference members include: Daemen University (Amherst, N.Y.); University of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.); D'Youville University (Buffalo, N.Y.); Mercy University (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.); Molloy University (Rockville Centre, N.Y.); Queens College (Flushing, N.Y.); Roberts Wesleyan University (Rochester, N.Y.); College of Staten Island (Staten Island, N.Y.); and St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, N.Y.). The ECC also is home to 13 associate members in the sports of women’s bowling (3), men’s and women’s indoor track & field (3), men's volleyball (2), field hockey (1), and men’s lacrosse (1).

The ECC sponsors the following championship sports: baseball; men’s and women’s basketball; women's bowling; men’s and women’s cross country; field hockey; men’s and women’s lacrosse; men’s and women’s indoor track and field; men’s and women’s outdoor track and field; men’s and women’s soccer; softball; and men's and women’s volleyball.
 
The East Coast Conference is a proud member of the NCAA and Division II. Division II is a dynamic and engaging group of colleges, institutions and conferences of varying sizes and educational missions. Division II members encourage and support diversity; value sportsmanship, fairness and equity; and place the highest priority on the overall educational excellence of the student-athlete.