No. 2 Molloy Returns to Glory After Capturing the 2026 ECC Women’s Soccer Championship

No. 2 Molloy – 1 | No. 1 Mercy – 1 (Molloy 6-5 PK)
Mercy Field | Dobbs Ferry, NY
Box Score

DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – After missing its first penalty kick, No. 2 Molloy (7-6-4, 4-1-2 ECC) converted on six straight PKs, to upend top-seeded Mercy (11-3-5, 6-1 ECC) 6-5, following a 1-1 draw, to capture the 2026 ECC Women's Soccer Championship title on Saturday afternoon at Mercy Field in Dobbs Ferry, NY. Molloy wins its fifth ECC Championship and returns to the top of the conference after falling short of a three-peat last season.

An early handball in the box by a Molloy defender awarded Mercy a penalty kick just four minutes into the Final and Sarah Lill Hanks capitalized on the PK, going the opposite of the Molloy keeper Elyse Muñoz to the bottom left side of the post, putting Mercy ahead 1-0. The penalty kick trend would resume with the Lions on the receiving end this time. In the 38^th minute, Jana Strait found the equalizer on a PK, tricking Mercy goalie Anneliese Becker who dove right, while she blasted the game-tying goal to the left. First half stats were close or even in all the categories. Molloy had a shot edge of 4-3 and shots on goal edge of 3-2, while Mercy had an advantage in saves (2-1) and corners were tied 1-1.

Although no goals were scored over the game’s final 65 minutes, which included regulation and two overtime periods, the game did not lack any excitement. Despite the action-packed battle, Molloy let off eight shots in the second half, while Mercy got two off, with only one shot on goal combined between them. The team’s would take the match into overtime still knotted at 1-1.

The best look at a golden goal occurred in the first overtime during the 95^th minute of play, when Mercy’s Hailey Metzger let off a shot from the top of the box that hit the crossbar.

After only one shot apiece in the first overtime frame, the two sides picked up the pace in the second overtime. Molloy was able to attempt three shots (all on goal), while Mercy had two shots with one on the mark, but no side could get the important golden goal, sending the Championship Final to a penalty shootout.

In PKs, Mercy connected on its first four shots, before missing its fifth shot, while Molloy missed its first, but then knocked in four in a row to send it to sudden victory. With no margin for error, both sides alternated making their first round of sudden death PKs. In the second round, Casey Szczotka from Mercy missed high, opening the door for Molloy to pull off the upset if they could make the next PK. And that is exactly what Angelina Rodriguez did, putting it home for the Lions by striking to the left center when Becker stepped right, putting Molloy back on the mountain top of the ECC after a one-year hiatus.

This marked the first time since 2022 that penalty kicks were needed to decide the title winner and only the third time ever that the final went to PKs.

Molloy Notes

Molloy finished the game by leading Mercy in shots (16-8), shots on goal (7-3), and corner kicks (9-3).
Strait’s goal in the first half was her team-leading ninth tally of the year.
She finished her day with three total shots with two on goal.
Bella Juliano led the Lions with five shots, two of which was on the target.
Ysabelle Perillo also had three shots, while Madison Keenan and Emily Scali had two shots each, with both of Keenan’s shots on goal and one of Scali’s on the mark.
Penalty kicks were made by Juliano, Muñoz, Megan Wetzel, Strait, Keenan, and Rodriguez during the shootout.
Muñoz was making her 17^th start of the season in net for Molloy, wrapping up her afternoon with two saves in 110 minutes.
The title was championship number five for the Lions, which is the most among current ECC members and tied for second all-time behind former conference institutions Adelphi and C.W. Post, which are tied for first with seven trophies each.
Molloy has claimed all five championships over the past seven postseasons dating back to 2019, which features two separate sets of back-to-back titles (2019, 2020, and 2023, 2024).
During the postgame awards ceremony, Strait was honored as the 2026 ECC Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

Mercy Notes

Mercy was led by Hanks who scored her third goal of the season.
Metzger and Astrid Borglund paced the Mavericks attack with two shots each, and one shot on goal by both.
Mercy’s shootout kicks were made by Hanks, Ana Polychroniades, Ella Gallino, Camila Salvador, and Connor Leahy.
Becker played the entire 110 minutes and made a game-high six saves in the meeting, highlighted by three in the second overtime to preserve the tie.
Molloy proved to be Mercy’s kryptonite this season, as the Mavs went a combined 7-0 against all other ECC opponents in 2026, while dropping both matches to the Lions this season.
For Mercy, this was the second straight season that the team’s championship hopes ended in heartbreak at home as the No. 1 seed, and the fourth time overall falling in the final.

Molloy earns the ECC automatic bid into the 2026 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship Tournament. The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for Monday, November 9 at 7:00 PM on NCAA.com. First Round games begin on Friday, November 13.

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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.