Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Jacob Darwesh Lund-Iversen (Mercy)
Sr., F, Oslo, Norway, Maryville University
Lund-Iversen had a game-high five points on two goals and an assist in Mercy's 4-2 win over Monroe on Sunday. His two goals were scored on four shots, with all four on goal.
Defensive Player of the Week
Tommy Wagner (Queens)
Gr., D, East Northport, N.Y., Commack High School
Senior Tommy Wagner recorded his first game-winning goal of the season to help the Knights open the 2026 campaign with a 2-0 shutout victory over Dominican University of New York. Wagner and the Knights then earned a 1-1 draw against nationally ranked No. 4 Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday. The result marked the first positive result against a team ranked in the top 10 of the USC poll in program history and was Queens’ highest-ranked result since the 2022 squad earned a 3-0 road victory over No. 15 Southern Connecticut State University.
Goalkeeper of the Week
Matthew Solorio (D'Youville)
Jr., GK, Kansas City, Mo., Oak Park
Solorio was unstoppable in goal this past week playing the full 180 minutes in goal in two games for the Saints. The junior did not allow a single goal, posting a pair of clean sheets. In the two shutouts, Solorio recorded 10 saves.
Rookie of the Week
Lorenzo Herrera (District of Columbia)
Fr., GK, Alexandria, Virginia, Hayfield Secondary School
Herrera made an immediate impact in his Firebird debut, delivering a standout performance between the posts against Goldey-Beacom College. In his first collegiate appearance for UDC, Herrera faced nine shots on goal and stopped all nine attempts, helping the Firebirds secure a 0-0 draw and a clean sheet.
Weekly Honor Roll
Mustafa Alshadeedi (Roberts Wesleyan)
Jr., F, Mississauga, Ontario, John Fraser
Junior Mustafa Alshadeedi scored the game-winning goal in the season-opening win for Roberts as he capped the direct kick play, sending a shot to the lower left corner after a deflection from teammate Louis Ferarri in the box. Roberts beat Assumption 2-1 on the road Saturday.
Kleverson Bolanos (Queens)
Jr., MF, Kew Gardens, N.Y.
Junior Kleverson Bolanos recorded his first goal of the season and the second of his career to help the Knights earn a 1-1 draw against nationally ranked No. 4 Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday. Bolanos’ goal helped Queens secure its first positive result against a team ranked in the top 10 of the USC poll in program history and the program’s highest-ranked result since the 2022 squad earned a 3-0 road victory over No. 15 Southern Connecticut State University.
Cesar Chavez (Molloy)
So., F, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, Irish International School
Chavez paced the Molloy offense with three shots and two shots on goal while netting his first career goal in Molloy's 1-0 season opening victory Thursday (Aug. 27) at Saint Anselm.
Luis Hipten (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Jr., GK, Miami, FL
Hipten stopped all six shots that he faced in a 3-0 road shutout victory against Dominican to give STAC its first win of the season.
Mario de Roque Zazón (Mercy)
Sr., F, Zaragoza, Spain, Newman University
de Roque Zazón had a game-high-tying two goals and scored the game-winning goal in the 68th minute in Mercy's 4-2 win over Monroe on Sunday.
Thanasis Shehadeh (Queens)
Sr., GK, Nicosia, Cyprus
Senior goalkeeper Thanasis Shehadeh recorded five saves while helping the Knights open the 2026 season with a 1-0-1 record. Shehadeh made one save and earned the shutout in Queens’ 2-0 season-opening victory over Dominican University of New York, earning his 14th career shutout and 23rd career victory. Against nationally ranked No. 4 Southern New Hampshire University, Shehadeh made four saves, including three in the second half, as the Knights secured a historic 1-1 draw. The result marked the first positive result against a team ranked in the top 10 of the USC poll in program history.
2026 ECC Men’s Soccer Weekly Award Winners
Offensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Jacob Darwesh Lund-Iversen (Mercy)
Defensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Tommy Wagner (Queens)
Goalkeeper of the Week
Aug. 31 – Matthew Solorio (D'Youville)
Rookie of the Week
Aug. 31 – Lorenzo Herrera (District of Columbia)
2026 ECC Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Queens - 80 points (8 first-place votes)
2. Roberts Wesleyan - 71 points (1 first-place vote)
3. Mercy - 56 points
4. St. Thomas Aquinas - 54 points
5. District of Columbia - 44 points
6. Molloy - 39 points
7. D'Youville - 30 points
8. Staten Island - 20 points
9. Daemen - 11 points
***
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.