Box Score

DETROIT (8/26/12) -- Senior Pat Lepera scored two goals and goalkeeper Nathan Steinwascher held the Mastodons scoreless in a 3-0 Detroit Titans (1-1) win over IPFW (0-1) in the team's home opener at Titan Field Sunday afternoon.

The Titans came out determined to defend their home field after a 2-0 loss in the season opener Friday at IUPUI.
 
Lepera scored the first Titan goal of the season when Jeremy Stoychoff dropped the ball off to him at the top of the box and he shot a rocket to the right side of the net past the diving keeper to take and early 1-0 lead six minutes into the game. The goal came in the seventh minute at the 6:10 mark.
 
UDM was able to maintain possession in the offensive zone and when the Mastodons were able to penetrate, the defense was there to push the ball back into the offensive zone throughout the day.
 
“We came out today with a different mentality defensively,” said UDM head coach Nicholas Deren.  “Our main goal was to disrupt their brand of soccer and that led to our offense which Lepera was a big part of today.”
 
The Titans held a one shot and one goal advantage at the end of the first half and Detroit came out shooting early in the second.

Not even two minutes into the second frame, the Titans went up 2-0 as Jacob Prud'homme crossed a ball to Kevin Pinkos across the box and shot it by the IPFW goalkeeper to give the Titans the two-goal lead, 46:29 into the game. 
 
The third Detroit goal came off the foot of Lepera as UDM played a ball deep into the offensive zone and was able to pressure the Mastodons' goalkeeper who misplayed the ball.  Lepera was on top of him quickly and was able to gather the loose ball and bury it in the back of the net for his second goal of the game and give UDM a three goal lead.
 
“We came together as a team today,” said Lepera, “I scored two goals but it was really a team effort, I couldn't have done it without them.”

Steinwascher made two saves recording his first shutout of the year and first of his collegiate career. 
 
The Titans will begin a west coast swing when they travel to California to play UC Riverside and UC Irvine, Friday August 31 at 7:30 p.m. (EST) and Sunday September 2 at 7:30 p.m. (EST), with both games to be played at UC Irvine.