ROCHESTER, Mich. (9/27/2017) -- Senior
Rachel DeLuca cut the deficit in half and the Titans attacked the offensive zone multiple times in the last 10 minutes, but it just came up short as the University of Detroit Mercy women's soccer team dropped a 2-1 game at Oakland in a Metro Series showdown on Wednesday night.
The Titans (3-8-1, 0-3-0 HL) trailed 1-0 at the break and 2-0 with less than 10 minutes left when the red, white and blue found the back of the net courtesy of DeLuca's career-high fourth goal. Detroit Mercy had a couple of more chances after that, but could not get the equalizer against Oakland (1-10-1, 1-2-0 HL).
Junior
Marina Manzo made three saves on the night and DeLuca led the team with four shots.
Detroit Mercy will return home on Saturday, Sept. 30, as the Titans host NKU at 4 p.m.
First Half
- Oakland posted the first four shots of the game and had two corner kicks, all in the first 25 minutes.
- Manzo came up with her first save in the 15th minute
- Oakland had another opportunity a minute after that save, but the shot sailed high.
- The Titans saw the Golden Grizzlies get on the board at 25:51 on a shot from 10 yards out.
- Freshman Rima Yousseff had the Titans' first shot in the 33rd minute that was saved.
- DeLuca then had two shots in the 39th and 41st minute, but both were not on goal.
Second Half
- Senior Phylisha Drayton started the action with a shot just a 45 seconds into the second stanza, but Oakland came back with two shots just a few minutes later.
- Manzo recorded another save in the 66th minute, but Oakland got its second goal two minutes later.
- Detroit Mercy had two corner kicks in the 72nd minute, but did not get a shot off.
- Manzo kept the Golden Grizzlies off the board in the 74th minute as she denied a shot when she was one-on-one with an attacking player.
- Oakland had another attempt hit the crossbar in the 78th minute and the ball was eventually cleared.
- The Titans cut into the 2-0 score as a long ball was put in the offensive box and DeLuca took advantage of the goalie coming out too far and buried it into the net at the 81:09 mark.
- Sophomore Casey Couturier had a shot that was saved in the 83rd minute and junior Carly Fiorido's boot in the 87th minute went high.
Game Notes
- This was the first game in the 2017-18 #MetroSeries, an annual rivalry for the Metro Cup awarded to the school with the most head-to-head victories over the course of the academic year.
- The Titans were 3-0-1 against Oakland in the #MetroSeries entering the game and are 0-3-2 in their last five trips to Oakland.
- DeLuca now has a career-high four goals and leads the team with 13 points.
- Titan Head coach Mike Lupenec is extremely familiar with Oakland as he graduated from OU in 1986.
