Box Score
Deren Postgame Interview

BUFFALO, N.Y. (9/7/2012) -- The game-winning goal came off the foot of freshman Matt Harkema at 77:45 as his first career collegiate tally was the difference in the University of Detroit Mercy men's soccer team's 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Bulls on Friday evening at the University at Buffalo Football Stadium.

“Overall on the day, I thought we were very good defensively and we were sharp. We didn't give anybody time and space to play and we made it very difficult for Buffalo to find a rhythm,” said UDM men's soccer head coach Nicholas Deren.

Adam Bedell got the UDM (2-3) offense going with his second goal of the season, taking a great pass from Kevin Pinkos and putting it home at the 73:09 mark. Pinkos played a nice and high ball that fell in softly to the middle of the 18-yard box and before it landed, the 6-foot-6 Bedell skied above everyone else and had a nice header that went in the net giving the Titans a 1-0 lead.

Nearly five minutes after that score, Detroit continued to press as Bedell, Pat Lepera, and Matt Nedwicki all contributed to the offensive effort for the Titans. Harkema gathered the loose ball and with the goalkeeper out to challenge, he calmly placed the ball in the upper right corner of the net to give UDM a 2-0 advantage.

The Bulls (1-3-1) would come back barely a minute later at 78:17, putting in a rebound and cutting the lead to 2-1 with plenty of time remaining for a potential comeback.

Buffalo had four corner kicks in the second half and 10 shots with Titan goalkeeper Nathan Steinwascher making three saves in the second frame. The Bulls made a frantic push in the final 10 minutes of regulation posting two shots and two corner kicks, but Detroit would close the door and continue to clear the ball out of its defensive zone thwarting the Buffalo attempts to hold on for the 2-1 victory.

The first half saw a pair of yellow cards for each side and 16 total fouls called (eight each), but no scoring as the teams were knotted up heading into the break.

Detroit held control for a good amount of possession in the first half generating 10 shots, with three on goal, compared to two shots with zero on the net for UB. Overall, the Titans finished with a 20-12 advantage in shots.

The next game for the Titans will be on Sunday as Detroit will stay in Western New York and visit Canisius. Game time is set for Noon.