After wrapping up its non-conference schedule with a trip to Honolulu the University of Detroit Mercy women's soccer team is recharged and ready for its first Horizon League games of the season, traveling to Cleveland State for a 7 p.m. game Friday and hosting Youngstown State at 3 p.m. Sunday.

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAMES?
You can stay up to the minute as the Titans clash with the Vikings Friday evening with Gametracker right HERE, and catch Sunday's game against the Penguins HERE.

GETTING BACK ON TRACK
Detroit started the season on the right foot, notching a 1-0 win over Notre Dame College (OH) in the opener and then evened their record at 2-2-1 with a 2-1 victory on the road at IPFW on Sept. 13. Following their victory in Fort Wayne, IN, the Titans traveled to East Lansing where they fell 3-1 to a tough Michigan State squad, but scored only the second goal of the season against a stingy Spartans defense.

Offensively it looked like Detroit was getting on a roll, finding the net in three straight games, but since that point the Titans have been blanked in four straight and have dropped to 2-7-1. This past weekend UDM trekked westward to Honolulu for two games against the University of Hawaii as part of the OHANA Hotels and Resorts Shootout., btu were unable to get on the board, falling 1-0 and 2-0.

“We've been struggling to score lately,” said head coach Mike Lupenec. “And that gives me a little concern but I'm encouraged by the way we played against Hawaii. I think we did some good things out there.”

Freshmen Nina Carter (Clinton Twp., MI/Chippewa Valley) and Sarah Dzuris (Rochester Hills, MI/Rochester) continue to be the only Titans to have scored goals. Carter leads the team with three goals including both of UDM's game-winners, and Dzuris has found the net twice. Sophomores Alexandra Suschak (Brecksville, OH/Brecksville) and Alyssa Korson (Suttons Bay, MI/Lake Leelanau St. Mary's), junior Selena Stanski (Tecumseh, ON/St. Anne's Secondary) and senior Trina Kochanski (Royal Oak, MI/Kimball) each have one assist. Carter leads the Titans with 20 shots and 13 on goal, while Kochanski and Stanski are tied for second with 11 shots, having put six and five on goal, respectively.

But this weekend might be just what the Titans need to right the ship and get off to a fast start in Horizon League play. Detroit has dominated the all-time series against both of the weekend's opponents, having posted a 4-0-1 record against Cleveland State and a glossy 11-0-0 mark against Youngstown State.

“Everyone knows that we need to get off to a good start, and it's going to be tough because not only are we playing away from home, but Cleveland State is usually a tough team at home,” Lupenec said. “Both teams (we're playing) have some different personnel this year, and Youngstown has a new coach and a new attitude so these are going to be tough, important games for us.”

UDM handed the Vikings a 4-0 loss at Titan Field in 2008. Stanski recorded a career high three assists in the game and Kochanski, Alexandra Suschak and junior Archana Wadhawan (Troy, MI/Troy) each scored a goal. Cleveland State will enter Friday's contest in Cleveland with a 1-9-0 mark and 0-1-0 in HL play after falling 2-1 at Wright State on Sept. 27. The Vikings have lost eight straight and are 0-3 at home.
Sophomore Natalie Daniels leads the Vikings with five points on two goals and one assist, and has recorded 16 shots (10 on goal). Junior Marley Greiner is second with four points on two goals and has taken 13 shots while putting nine on goal. In goal for Cleveland State junior Kelly Zinkiewich has started eight games, posting a record of 1-6-0 and 28 saves while allowing 18 goals.

The Titans traveled to Youngstown, OH for a date with the Penguins last season and returned to Detroit with a 2-1 victory. Korson notched her first career goal in the win, and Stanski, sophomore Lauren Roffey (West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield) and sophomore Alison Suschak (Brecksville, OH/Brecksville) each tallied an assist. Youngstown State is 3-4-2 on the season after topping Robert Morris (IL) 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 20 and playing to a scoreless tie in double overtime against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Sept. 27 The Penguins are 1-3 on the road and will open their HL schedule when they host Loyola on Friday.

The Penguins have relied on sophomore Kara Cooper to supply the majority of their offense this season. Cooper is second in the league with 14 points on six goals and two assists, tied for the HL lead in goals, and second in shots (34, 18 on goal). Sophomore Geneva Strelka has five points for YSU on two goals and one assist and has taken 16 shots this year, putting 11 on goal. Goalkeeping responsibilities have been split between sophomore Nicole Kline and senior Mariah Snyder. Kline has started seven games in net and has a 3-4-1 record with 37 saves and 16 goals allowed. Snyder has started two games and is 1-0-1 with a shutout, seven saves and only one goal allowed.

“The past doesn't really mean anything,” Lupenec said. “Both (Cleveland and Youngstown) have played us tough in recent years, and they're programs that are getting better.”

THE HORIZON LEAGUE COMETH
This weekend marks that start of what the Titans have been preparing since arriving on campus for preseason in August. For the first time this season not every team will make the field for the Horizon League tournament. Instead, only the top six teams in league play will fight for the crown and, with it, an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.

“Every game counts and everyone knows it,” said Lupenec. “Games are going to be very hard fought throughout the conference. We're going to have to fight and make sure we win close games, because ties could be the difference between a team making it to the (league) tournament or not. And you've got to be able to win on the road and at home.”

For seven of the league's nine teams HL play has already begun. Detroit and Youngstown State will be the last two teams to begin league play, both taking the field against league foes Friday evening. Wright State sits in the early driver's seat with a 3-0-0 HL record and is the only league team with an overall record above .500 at 6-4-2. Loyola (2-9-1 overall, 1-2-1 HL) is in second, and Butler (5-7-0, 1-0-0 HL), preseason favorite Milwaukee (3-5-3, 1-0-0) and Valparaiso (4-7-0, 1-2-0) are all tied for third. Green Bay (2-7-2, 0-2-1) is sixth and Cleveland State is ninth.

Detroit's 74 saves lead the league, and sophomore keeper Joanna Hinde (Shelby Twp., MI/Eisenhower) is the HL individual leader with 71. Hinde is also second among league goalies with an .816 save percentage, and Carter is tied for the league lead with two game-winning goals.