The Detroit Titans men's soccer team ended the 2010 season with an overall record of 8-9-2. They posted a 4-4 mark in Horizon League action and therefore earned a spot in the HL Tournament as the five-seed. Head coach Nicholas Deren completed his first full-season at the helm of the program. He guided the team to their highest win total since the 2005 season.

The Titans got off to a slow start after playing a tough non-conference schedule against teams such as Michigan, Cincinnati and the College of Charleston. Their first win of the year came against Duquesne on Sept. 18. After the 3-2 win over the Dukes, Detroit entered league play with a trip to Chicago. The Titans fell 1-0 to Loyola, but ended the weekend with a 3-2 win over UIC. The following weekend UDM earned an important 2-1 victory over Milwaukee helping them earn the five-seed in the HL Tournament.

Detroit held a three-game winning streak during early October. It was the first time the program put together that long of a streak since the 2006 season. The Titans made a push for postseason play in October by posting a 5-2-1 record. A signature win came on the 15th when Detroit defeated Cleveland State 2-0 at Titan Field. The Vikings would ultimately get their revenge as it was Cleveland State who knocked Detroit out of the HL Tournament in the first round with a 2-1 victory.

With last year's team MVP, Otieno Victor (Kisumu Nyanza, Kenya, Kakamega), limited to playing in only 10 games due to a season-ending injury it was newcomer Ya Ya Toure (Ypsilanti, MI, Willow Run (Schoolcraft)) who led the Titan offensive attack. Toure led the team with 20 points. He scored a team-high nine goals on the year and also added two assists. The Schoolcraft College transfer received multiple Horizon League postseason awards for his strong play during the 2010 season. He was a First Team All-Horizon League selection, he made the All-Newcomer Team, and he was voted as the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year. Toure is only the fourth player in men's soccer history to earn Newcomer of the Year accolades at Detroit. His performance helped Detroit leap from an eighth-place finish in 2009 to a five-seed in the HL Tournament. The league recognized Toure as the Player of the Week, for the week beginning Oct. 11. Toure recorded a goal in each game that week helping the Titans go 1-0-1.

In the end it was a total team effort for Detroit to reach eight wins this season. Junior Sam Seppo (Port Huron, MI, Port Huron) was second on the team with six goals, while it was freshman Adam Bedell (Livonia, MI, Churchill) who led the team in assists with eight. Bedell sits in a tie for 10th place all-time with eight assists in a single-season. Kevin Pinkos (Clarkston, MI, Clarkston) and Pat Lepera (Windsor, ON, St. Joseph's Catholic) also impacted the team with seven points each. Pinkos scored three goals to go along with an assist, while Lepera finished second on the team with five assists.

Detroit will look to build off this season for next fall's competition. The Titans will bring back the core group of players as only three seniors will graduate from the 2010 team. The 2011 senior class will consist of team captain Mike Chiandussi (Windsor, ON, St. Thomas of Villanova), Nate Robinson (Novi, MI, Novi), Victor, Toure, Adam Philp (Windsor, ON, St. Joseph's Catholic), Seppo, Matt Nedwicki (Dearborn, MI, Divine Child), Jon Bowman (Findlay, OH, Findlay) and Julio Castillo (Cupertino, CA, Homestead).

Q & A with head coach Nick Deren:

Q: How would you rate your first full head season as a head coach? Did the team play up to your expectations, what did you learn, how did you make this group of players a playoff team?

A: I would give my first full season as a head coach a C grade. We had a mix of some good and bad stretches. We didn't achieve our preseason goal of 10 wins, so I would say we didn't play up to my expectation. We got to the playoffs from our middle stretch of the season where we went 8-3-1 in that stretch.

Q: The beginning of the season featured many close games that could have gone either way. Did you make specific changes to your coaching strategy after these games, or did you believe that your brand of soccer would eventually produce these wins?

A: There were so many games early that we played well in, but didn't come out with the desired result. It was only a matter of time that the results would turn around if we continued to play the same way. There weren't any real big adjustments in the way we played. We did change formations and made a defensive adjustment that led us to more favorable results.

Q: Making the post-season tournament was one of many goals you had for this team. What else stands out in your mind from the 2010 season?

A: Our road record was what I was most impressed with. Posting five victories on the road was special.

Q: With Otieno Victor missing the second half of the season due to injury, junior forward Ya Ya Toure really stepped up his game. How does Ya Ya fit into your offensive scheme and who else do you feel had a successful season from an individual standpoint?

A: Ya Ya fits into my scheme because he is a true target center forward to play into who can hold up the ball under pressure and bring other players into the attack, but also when isolated he was able to turn and go to goal on his own. I also have to give Sam Seppo a lot of credit with his six goals and always putting the opposition under pressure with his pace.

Q: The core of the 2010 cast will return for the 2011 season. Big names such as Chiandussi, Victor, and Toure headline the senior class. What are you expectations for 2011?

A: To win the Horizon League Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament. Anything less than that will be a disappointment.