The BasicsScore: Detroit 2, Belmont 0
Records: Detroit 7-4-8 (3-1-5 HL), Belmont 4-13-2 (1-7-1 HL)
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Titan Field)
DETROIT (11/6/2015) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's soccer team clinched a spot in the 2015 Horizon League Championship on Friday with a 2-0 victory over visiting Belmont in the regular-season finale for both squads. Detroit didn't allow a shot on goal for its sixth shutout of the season.
The Titans (3-1-5 HL) have secured the No. 5 spot in the Horizon League regular season standings, following the conclusion of the regular season. Detroit, the No. 10 team in this week's NSCAA regional rankings, will play in a Horizon League First Round match at 7 p.m. Monday at No. 4-seeded Cleveland State.
Junior
Tyler Moorman and sophomore
Spiro Pliakos connected for both goals, one in each half. Midway through the first half, Pliakos knifed through the defense and found Moorman on the right side of the box. Moorman, the team-leader in goals entering the game, beat Belmont goalkeeper Grayson Rector low and to the far side of the post. Moorman's goal in the 20th minute was his sixth of the year.
Moorman had a chance just minutes later, but his shot on net was saved. Detroit posted eight shots in the first half, while holding Belmont to just three shots.
Detroit had a flurry of strong chances on net early in the second half with the first coming off a
Jason Leslie header that was turned away in the 57th minute. Pliakos played in Bowman all alone in the box in the 59th minute, but Bowman's shot was turned away by Rector.
Adam Clauss, who scored off a direct corner kick early in the season, hit the crossbar with a corner chance in the 63rd minute.
Just over two minutes later, Pliakos again found Moorman at the top of the box and the junior fired a shot to the far side of the net into the wind. Moorman's second goal of the game -- and seventh of the season -- marked the first multi-goal game of his career.
With the hot hand, Moorman nearly pulled off a hat trick, pushing a header just wide of the goal line in the 68th minute. With a two-goal lead, Detroit relinquished its attack and focused on earning the clean sheet.
The Titan defense performed strong all day and allowed just one shot in the second half. Belmont had just four looks on net, none of them on goal. Senior goalkeeper
Nathan Steinwascher earned his fifth shutout of the season and 19th in his Detroit career, tying the school record for career shutouts.
Detroit improved to 2-0-3 in league home games this season and 4-1 in its last five games overall.
Inside the Box Score• Detroit out-shot Belmont in the match 18-4.
• The Titans had a 10-1 margin over the Bruins in the second half.
• UDM also had the edge in corner kicks, 4-2.
• Two yellow cards were handed out to each team, one to each side.
• Moorman tallied both goals, while Pliakos had assist on each goal.
• Moorman finished with six shots, including three on net.
• Steinwascher made zero saves for the shutout, the first time all season he hasn't faced a shot on goal.
Titan Notes• Detroit is 4-1 in its past five matches. The Titans are 7-2-6 in their last 15 games.
• Steinwascher's 19th career shutout ties him for the most all-time with Titan Hall of Famer Kal Kaliszewski.
• Moorman's two goals pushed him into a tie for the team-lead with seven goals with Friday's night matches still to be played.
• Pliakos' two helpers also put him into the league lead with eight assists. He surpassed his career-high of seven assists, achieved last year.
• Detroit finished with a 2-0-3 record in league games at home.
• After drawing in six-straight games during the season, Detroit hasn't tied a game in the past six matches.
Up NextThe Titans have clinched the No. 5 seed in the Horizon League Championship and will play in a first-round match Monday night at 7 p.m. at fourth-seeded Cleveland State. The Vikings and Detroit tied at 14 points in the final regular-season standings and tied in their only 2015 meeting, but CSU earned the tiebreaker by virtue of its win over top-seeded UIC.
