10/18/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College men's soccer has won two straight matches, and will hope to keep the momentum going against the top team in the region, as the Falcons have an all-important matchup with Region XIX DII leaders, Mercer County CC, on Saturday, October 19^th.
 
The match will take place at Mid Valley HS in Throop, PA. Kickoff is at 12:00pm ET. Admission will be free and open to the public, and there will be a pay-per-view video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (3-4-0) come in on a small winning streak, taking their last two matchups, including a 9-0 victory this past Tuesday on the road at County College of Morris. In that contest, seven different Falcons scored, breaking open a 2-0 game at the break to hand Morris the loss. You can read the recap HERE.
 
Through seven games, Lackawanna has faced 129 shots, 97 on target, while putting up 80 shots of its own. Falcons' keepers have a combined 63 saves this year. The Falcons have scored 19 goals, while giving up 34 so far this year.
 
Sophomore striker Sebastian Carmona (Scranton, PA) has six goals and two assists this season to lead the team. Carmona scored a pair of goals in the win against Northampton on 10/5, scoring a goal on either side of halftime. He also had an assist in the first half of the win. His other assist came against Union on 10/3, assisting a free kick goal in the 5-2 loss to the Owls. He was named as the EPAC DII Men's Soccer Player of the Week for his efforts last week. He scored two goals against County College of Morris on Tuesday night. Seba scored nine goals for the Falcons last year.
 
First-year midfielder Nahuel Minis (Old Forge, PA) has five goals and an assist this season, with all five goals coming in four of his last five games. Minis scored a pair of goals last Saturday, one on either side of the half, using his head twice to give the Falcons the lead. He scored a nice half-volley strike against Union back on 10/3 off a free kick pass, then followed that up with an excellent strike from the top of the box against Northampton on 10/5, curling a shot into the top left corner of the net. Minis recorded his assist in the loss to Essex earlier this season. He had a goal against Morris on Tuesday.
 
Sophomore Ermir Hoti (Gjakova, Kosovo) has a goal and a team-best three assists this season, all coming in his last five games. He had a goal and an assist against Union on 10/3, then had a great assist on a long through ball that found Carmona in the first half against Northampton on 10/5. He had an assist against Morris on Tuesday. Hoti led last year's team with ten goals and four assists.
 
Reigning Region XIX Player of the Year, Guillermo Ramírez (Valencia, Venezuela) has a goal and an assist on the year. He finally got himself going this season, with a goal to open the scoring against Morris, and an assist in the victory. Ramírez had four goals and an assist last season and was the main player that held down the quality midfield for the Falcons a year ago.
 
First-year midfielder Alexandro Velazquez (Wilkes-Barre, PA) has two goals and an assist this season. He got on the scoresheet with a goal and an assist against Northampton on 10/5. His goal came only three minutes into the contest, when he kept possession along the touchline, darted to his right, and slotted a shot past the Northampton keeper. His assist came in the second half, when he took the ball down the right side of the pitch, then crossed it back towards the goal, where Carmona ran onto it and poked it home. Velazquez scored a goal in the win against Morris on Tuesday.
 
Sophomore Tyler Pepsin (Old Forge, PA) got himself going with a pair of goals against Morris on Tuesday towards the end of the game. He had an assist earlier this season in the loss to Monroe CC. Last year, Tyler scored a goal and had three assists.
 
Sophomore Sebastian Charles (Bethesda, MD) played sparingly last year, due to injury, but has started every game in the middle of the defense this season. Charles isn't the only one coming back from injury, as the Falcons will also have the services of defender Jordan Artmont (Dallas, PA), who missed all last season with injury, and is healthy for the Falcons.
 
In goal, Aldo Vargas (Scranton, PA) returns for the Falcons. He has 54 saves this year, facing heavy pressure from the opposition. Vargas played sparingly last season as keeper and will be stepping into a starting role for the Lackawanna this year. Vargas had seven saves in the win against Northampton. He had 15 saves against Harcum last Wednesday and put up seven saves in the win against Bucks County last weekend. He had four saves in the win against Morris.
 
The interim head coach is Danny Berg, who is also the Coordinator of Athletic Operations and Fundraising for Lackawanna College Athletics. Berg has been with the College for nearly 20 years, and was hired as the first-ever women's soccer coach in the mid 2000's. On top of his duties with the Falcons, Berg spent a few seasons as the head boys and girls soccer coach at Valley View HS.
 
About Mercer County CC
The Vikings (13-2-1) enter on a nine-game winning streak. There have been exactly two matches all season where the Vikings have given up more than one goal, and they have lost both. The only losses on the year for Mercer are a 6-0 defeat against Harcum back on 8/27, and a 2-1 loss to CCBC Essex on 9/7. In the nine straight games the Vikings have won, they have five clean sheets and have outscored their opponents 42-4. Their last game was a 4-0 win at Monroe Bronx on Wednesday. Mercer outshot the Express 22-3, and scored three goals in a four-minute span in the second half to break open a 1-0 game.
 
Mercer has scored 60 goals this season, and allowed 14. The Vikings have eight clean sheets this season. Mercer is super balanced, with six different players with four or more goals on the season.
 
First-year player Adrian Garcia Franco leads the team with nine goals and four assists this season. Garcia Franco scored four goals in his last three games, including two goals in a 6-0 win against Catonsville on October 5^th. He has not played since October 9^th.
 
Sophomore Joao Delgado is second on the team with seven goals and three assists. Delgado had two goals against Georgian Court JV, and scored goals against Catonsville, and Cecil, all in a ten-day stretch. He did not score and took one shot in the win at Monroe Bronx.
 
First-year player Daniel Franco has scored seven goals and one assist this season. Franco had a hattrick in a 5-1 win at Eastern JV on October 2^nd. He missed four games through the beginning of October, but came back to action on Wednesday against Monroe Bronx, where he scored a goal in the victory over the Express.
 
Sophomore Lesedi Hlabeli has six goals and five assists this year. Hlabeli had a stretch from September 14^th through October 5^th where he scored a goal in four straight games, and has now scored a goal in two straight games against Cecil (10/15) and Monroe Bronx (10/16). Hlabeli had a goal and an assist against Bronx on three shots in the victory.
 
Sophomore Francesco Quintavalla has four goals and a team-best nine assists this season. Quintavalla has had two games with two assists, putting up two helpers in the win against Essex on September 21^st, and then two more assists on 10/5 against CCBC Catonsville. It was part of a stretch where he had seven assists in five games. He had three shots in the win against Monroe Bronx.
 
First-year keeper Ignacio Pacheco has the most action on the team this season between the pipes, allowing eleven goals in 12 games, a 1.10 average, and putting up 25 saves. He's been a part of six clean sheets this season. He has twice had six saves, his season-high, once against Nassau on 8/25, and the other against Raritan Valley on 9/10. Pacheco has not played in the last four games this season. His last game was against CCBC Catonsville on 10/5.
 
Sophomore Elias Ramos has been the keeper for the last four games, allowing just two goals in his appearances this season. Ramos has two shutouts, including the latest win on Wednesday against Monroe Bronx.
 
The head coach for the Vikings is Widmarc Tigana Dalce, now in his 12^th season as the mentor for the program. Dalce was a member of the 1996 national championship team at Mercer, and earned All-Region honors in 1997. The Haitian native was a member of the Olympic national team from 1991 through 1993, then graduated from Mercer in 1998, before continuing his academic career at American International College, where he also played soccer. He's been an assistant coach at Rider University for the women's team, as well as a head coach at the high school level and the youth leagues. Dalce was an assistant with the Vikings prior to taking over in 2012. He has a 152-56-14 record as head coach with Mercer.
 
The Matchup
The game between Lackawanna and Mercer County CC is set for a 12:00pm ET kickoff on Saturday, October 19^th, at Mid Valley HS in Throop, PA. Admission will be free and open to the public, and there will be a pay-per-view video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
 
The Falcons have one more regular season contest, scheduled for Monday, October 21^st, when they travel to take on PSU Scranton in Dunmore. Kickoff is set for 4:00pm ET at the PSU Scranton soccer field.