Molloy hosts District of Columbia in an ECC tournament first-round matchup, with the third-seeded Lions looking to build on a regular-season finale win over nationally ranked Mercy. Molloy’s attack is led by Jack Veletanga and Mael Pierre Paul, while a strong goalkeeping rotation gives the Lions another edge. UDC arrives with a higher overall win total and a dangerous scorer in Isaiah Daniel, setting up a close rematch after the teams drew earlier this month.

By the Numbers
  • Molloy: 5-3-7 overall, including a 3-1-4 ECC record.
  • UDC: 8-5-4 overall, including a 3-3-2 ECC record.
  • Veletanga and UDC’s Daniel each have 14 points.
  • Callum Hunt has an 0.82 goals-against average; UDC goalkeeper Lorenzo Herrera has an 0.97 average.
  • The teams’ October 10 meeting ended in a 1-1 draw.
Yes, But

Molloy has home-field advantage and momentum from its win over Mercy, but UDC finished with more overall wins and four All-Conference selections. The teams have split their previous two postseason meetings: Molloy won a 2021 shootout, while UDC claimed the 2024 ECC final in overtime.

State of Play
  • Molloy earned the No. 3 seed and will host the No. 6 Firebirds at John A. Darcy Field.
  • The Lions are back in the postseason for the fifth time in six seasons and will host a playoff game for the first time since 2024.
  • Veletanga leads Molloy with five goals; Pierre Paul scored the winner against Mercy.
  • UDC’s Ruiz leads the team with six goals, while Herrera leads the ECC with 85 saves.
What's Next

The winner advances in the ECC tournament. Molloy will need to turn home-field advantage and its balanced goalkeeping into a result against a UDC side that has already shown it can threaten the Lions.

Bottom Line

Molloy’s path runs through a familiar opponent: the Lions have the home crowd and a recent win to build on, but UDC’s scoring and tournament history make this a genuine test.