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DETROIT (9/24/2014) -- Junior midfielder Jennifer Borawski scored 2:14 into overtime Wednesday to lift the University of Detroit Mercy women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Cleveland State at Titan Field in both team's Horizon League opener.

With the win, Detroit improved to 3-4-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference. The victory was also Detroit's second straight as the Titans were playing their first game in nine days.

Borawski's golden goal was her first score of the season. Even though the Titans were playing a player down after receiving a red card in the 86th minute, Borawski (Northville, Mich. / Northville) found a seam down the right sideline in overtime. She drove past defenders and into the box and fired a shot to the left side of the goal, past a diving CSU goalkeeper, and into the back of the net.

"You have to give the girls credit," UDM head coach Mike Lupenec said. "They believed in themselves going into overtime and that's tough when you give up a goal late. Some teams might have folded. We kept the positive attitude. We told (Borawski) that she needs to be aggressive and has to be the goal scorer for us. That's why she scored. She was aggressive. You just have to give the girls credit. They found a way to win.

"In the Horizon League, it's going to be about scrapping to get goals and that's how you win games. And with a man down, your percentages to win go down. But we came out in overtime and we were the better team."

Neither team could take advantage of many offensive opportunities early in the first half. Detroit got on the scoreboard first after making good on a penalty kick opportunity with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

Junior defender Alyssa Lotito (Macomb, Mich. / Eisenhower) knocked in the penalty kick, Detroit's first of the season, to give the Titans a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. It was Lotito's first goal of the season.

The Vikings increased their offensive pressure in the second half, out-shooting the Titans 9-1 and earning five corner kick chances. CSU got on the board with just 2:12 remaining in the contest after Sabrina Abram threw in a ball into the box, which was corralled by Kaila Sargema, who knocked it past Detroit goalkeeper Marina Manzo (Washington Twp., Mich. / Romeo) to tie the game.

The momentum had seemed to swing in Cleveland State's favor, but Borawski had other ideas for overtime and clinched the victory with her golden goal.

Cleveland State held the shot advantage for the game, 12-6. CSU also had six shots on goal compared to four shots on net for the Titans. Lotito led the Titans with two shots overall, and Manzo made five saves in net for the Titans.

The Titans did allow their first goal in 14 games at home. Cleveland State's goal in the 88th minute snapped Detroit's 13-game shutout streak at Titan Field that stretched back into the 2012 season. Detroit, however, improved its unbeaten streak at home to 14 games. UDM is 13-0-1 in its last 14 games in the Motor City. 

Detroit returns to the field on Saturday for a 2 p.m. match against Wright State in Dayton.