Gameday Central
Game Notes vs. Air Force
 
DETROIT (3/11/2015) -- The final tune-up before the MAAC season gets underway has the Titans flying out to the Rocky Mountains as the University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team battles the Air Force Academy on Saturday, March 14.
 
Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. (EST) at Falcons Stadium and will be broadcast over the web on the Mountain West Network with a paid subscription.
 
Fans can follow every Detroit game this season through the men's lacrosse GAMEDAY CENTRAL page located on the Titans Athletic Website that will keep fans one click away from all the action. This page will feature links for live stats (audio and video when applicable) as well as links for all the latest info while also making it easy to find the Titans on social media and to purchase game tickets. The Gameday Central page also carries all the information on each opponent from who is leading the all-time series to who won the last game.
 
Detroit is 4-2 on the year after dealing Mercer a 12-7 loss at Ultimate Soccer Arenas last Wednesday. Eight Titans netted goals in the game, led by senior Shayne Adams, who recorded his 21st career hat trick with tree goals and an assist.
 
Adams is now tied for the team lead with 11 goals alongside freshman Mark Anstead, who also tops the team with nine assists and 20 points.
 
Sophomore Jason Weber was unflappable inbetween the pipes tallying 28 saves, breaking his own school mark and tying a MAAC record. He is currently leading the nation with 18.17 saves per game and is third in save percentage with a .634.
 
The game comes after a stretch that saw the Titans play three times in six days, with the red, white and blue coming away with victories over Bellarmine on the road and Mercer at home, while falling to No. 16/17 Marquette on a neutral field.
 
VS. DIVISION I INDEPENDENTS
There are only two Division I Independents in 2015 in Air Force and first-year program NJIT. The Titans have met up with Air Force before dropping a 13-6 game on the road in its inaugural season in 2009.
 
ABOUT THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY
Air Force is in its 48th year of lacrosse as a program - compared to Detroit's seven - as the Falcons and Titans are meeting for the second time. The first was also in Colorado back in 2009 as UDM closed out its first varsity season.
 
Air Force was 11-6 last season and won the ECAC to advance to its third career NCAA Tournament.
 
The Falcons are off to a 3-4 start with wins in three of their last four games. They have defeated Canisius (13-6) at home, Furman 6-4 on the road and VMI, 12-8, on a neutral field in Maryland. Air Force has also played one other MAAC team losing to Marist at home, 7-6.
 
Freshman Chris Walsch - one of the leading freshman point scorers in the nation - leads the offense with 19 goals and 27 points. Keith Dreyer has tallied 17 points with 10 goals and Nick Hruby has posted 12 points with 10 markers.
 
Luke Toscano is the top faceoff man winning 35-of-64 (.546) with 16 ground balls, while defenseman Kyle O'Brien has picked up a team-high 20 GB's.
 
Doug Gouchoe has started all seven games in net and has recorded a .519 save percentage and a 9.03 goals against average.
 
LAST TIME VS. THE FALCONS
The Detroit Titans men's lacrosse team closed out its inaugural season with a 13-6 setback against the Air Force Academy at Falcon Stadium in Colorado.
 
Vince Wigdahl ended the game with a team-high three points on two goals and an assist, while Matt Gregson notched his sixth multi-goal effort of the season with two markers. Pat O'Shea and John Nowicki also added goals.
 
Detroit got on the board first as Gregson got inside for a score just one minute into the contest. From there, the Falcons netted seven straight goals to break the game open taking a 7-1 lead into the half.
 
Just like at the start of the game, UDM struck first and quick in the third period as Wigdahl found the back of the net at the 13:50 mark. After two more Air Force goals, the Titans took advantage of an AF penalty in the fourth with Gregson taking a pass from Kevin Demorest and putting it between the pipes to pull UDM within six, 9-3.
 
After the Falcons got that goal back, O'Shea got a feed from Wigdahl and fired it past the goalie with 10:13 to go. Gregson then won the ensuing face-off and not even a minute after the O'Shea tally, Nowicki was able to score his eighth marker of the year to cut the deficit to five, 10-5.
 
After another Air Force goal, Wigdahl added his ninth of the year to once again pull Detroit within five, 11-6, with six minutes to go, but the Titans would not get any closer.
 
Air Force got off 54 shots on the day, but Vince Diana was up to the task posting a season-high 20 saves.
 
TITANS AMONG THE NATION'S LEADERS
The University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team leads the nation in saves per game and ranks in the top 20 in three other statistics as the NCAA released its latest stats on Monday, March 9.
 
Detroit is tallying 18.33 saves per game to top the nation, while ranking 16th in man-down defense (.714), 18th in man-up offense (.467) and 20th in clear percentage (.873).
 
As a team, UDM is also the MAAC leader in clearing percentage, second in scoring margin (-.83) and shot percentage (.305), and third in caused turnovers (7.33), scoring defense (10.50), and offense (9.67).
 
Sophomore Jason Weber has been a big part of the defense and leads the nation with 18.17 saves per game, a stat that he led the nation last year at 16.27. He is also third in save percentage (.634) – after placing first in the country last season with a .642.
 
Junior Paul Bitetti is third in the MAAC and 20th in the nation at 1.60 caused turnovers per game, while senior Scott Drummond leads the conference and is 21st in the country with three man-up goals.
 
Freshman Mark Anstead is third in the league in both assists per game (1.50) and points per game (3.33), which has him at 51st and 57th, respectively, in those two categories in the NCAA. Among freshman in the nation, he is tied for third in assists per game and is seventh in points per game.
 
Senior Brandon Beauregard is 80th in the country – and seventh in the MAAC – with 1.17 assists per game, while senior Chris Shevins is 64th in the nation and sixth in the conference recording 1.17 caused turnovers.
 
Anstead and senior Shayne Adams are tied for fifth in the MAAC and 86th in the nation with 1.83 goals per game.
 
LOOKING TO TAKE DOWN ANOTHER BARRIER
The Titans have already accomplished a few "firsts" this season in beating teams like Bellarmine, Ohio State and Robert Morris for the first time in school history as well as receiving votes in the USILA Coach's Poll.
 
Detroit is also guaranteed its first-ever winning record against non-conference opponents in a single season as it is 4-2 through six of the seven non-conference foes.
 
UDM could also grow its record to three games over .500 for the first time in school history. The Titans are currently 4-2, the highest over .500 they have ever been.
 
DID YOU SAY 28?
Sophomore Jason Weber - the reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and already a three-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Week - posted a school-record 28 saves against Mercer on March 4.
 
Weber's 28 saves broke his school record of 23 he had last year in a win over Marist and tied a MAAC single-game record with the 28 that Dan Morrissey of St. Joseph's had against Delaware on Feb. 14, 2004.
 
THE GREAT WALL OF WEBER
Sophomore Jason Weber is back inbetween the pipes for Detroit, giving the Titans one of the top goalies in the nation. After leading nation with 16.27 saves per game last year, he is back at number one leading the country again at 18.17, while placing third in the country with a .634 save percentage.
 
Weber posted 34 saves in the two games at the Midwest Classic, tallying a season-high 19 against nationally-ranked Marquette, the second most saves in his career.
 
Against Ohio State in the season opener, he posted 14 saves and picked up a career-best six ground balls, while at Michigan, he stopped 17 shots. Weber picked up his first overtime victory with 16 saves against Robert Morris as the Colonials outshot UDM, 51-32, including 19-2 in the first period.
 
He has now recorded double digit saves in all 17 of his career games played.
 
Weber was selected the MAAC's Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year as he posted 16.27 saves per game and a .642 save percentage, NCAA bests in both stats.
 
He made 179 total saves – tying a UDM record – and was 16th in the country and first in the MAAC with a 9.07 goals against average.
 
He ended up registering at least 15 in eight games and a school-record 23 in a win over Marist in the regular season, which was the second most stops on the year in Division I.
 
ADAMS POSSESS NATION'S LONGEST SCORING POINT STREAK
Senior Shayne Adams ran his streak to 52-straight games recording at least one point as he recorded two goals and two assists at Bellarmine.
 
It is currently the longest streak in the nation by five games over North Carolina's Jimmy Bitter.
 
He has 152 points on 128 goals and 24 assists during this spurt.
 
In his career, Adams has scored a point in 53 of 54 games - only in his second career game at Ohio State did he not register a point - as well as scoring a goal in 51 of those contests.
 
ADAMS FIRST TITAN TO 100 & BEYOND
Senior Shayne Adams - a Tewaaraton Award watch list member in 2013 as well as a three-time All-MAAC selection - has 131 career goals, the only Titan in school history to reach 100 career markers.
 
He is currently second among active players in the nation in total goals, fourth in goals per game, 12th in total points and 27th in points per game.
 
Below are the top three active leaders in total goals in 2015
Wesley Berg, Denver - Sr. - 140
Shayne Adams, Detroit - Sr. - 131
Lyle Thompson, Albany - Sr. - 127
 
Below are the top four active leaders in goals per game in 2015
Dylan Molly, Brown - So. - 3.06
Dan Lomas, High Point - Jr. - 2.72
Brody Eastwood, Stony Brook - Jr. - 2.66
Shayne Adams , Detroit - Sr. - 2.43
 
Below are the top 12 active leaders in total points in 2015
Lyle Thompson, Albany - Sr. - 292
Wesley Berg, Denver - Sr. - 191
Joey Sankey, North Carolina - Sr. - 183
John Glesener, Army - Sr. - 178
Mike Rooney, Stony Brook - Sr.  - 171
Dan Taylor, Lehigh - Sr. - 171
Ryan Walsh, Colgate - Sr. - 168
Jimmy Bitter, North Carolina - Sr.  - 162
Kevin Rice, Syracuse - Sr.  - 162
Jessee King, Ohio State - St. - 160
Wells Stanwick, Johns Hopkins - Sr. - 159
Shayne Adams, Detroit - Sr. - 155
 
ADAMS NOW THE PROUD OWNER OF ANOTHER RECORD
Senior Shayne Adams already owned the all-time goals record at Detroit, but with his second marker against Marquette on Feb. 27, he picked up point number 147 passing former teammate and current assistant coach Alex Maini (2011-14) for the all-time points lead.
 
Adams now has 155 career points on 131 goals and 24 assists. His 24 helpers is currently seventh in school history.
 
He is coming off a season in which he tallied a MAAC-best 42 goals to go along with 49 points – both school records. As a freshman he had 35 goals and 41 points, while as a sophomore, he garnered 33 goals and 37 points.
 
TRIPLE MARK
Senior Shayne Adams recorded his 21st career hat trick with the three goals and four points he registered in the win over Mercer on March 4.
 
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Detroit started the second half with an 8-0 run and never looked back in defeating Bellarmine on the road, 14-11, on March 1.
 
The game was one of the best offensive contests in Titan history.
 
The 14 goals are tied for the fifth-most by the Titans in school history and the most since putting in 14 against Manhattan in 2013.
 
They collected assists tying for fourth in school history and the most since tallying nine at Monmouth in 2014.
 
The 25 total points is the sixth highest in the Detroit record book and the most since posting 26 at Canisius in 2012.
 
The Titans also had five man-up goals, tying a school record for the third time.
 
BRING ON THE YOUNGSTERS
You always feel more comfortable with veterans, but it was the younger Titans who have shined in the Titans two wins so far.
 
Out of the eight goal scorers against Ohio State, three were by true freshmen, led by Sean Birney who tallied two goals and an assist. Mark Anstead and Alec Gilhooly also recorded a goal and an assist.
 
Sophomore Brad Harris also had a goal and an assist and, of course, there was sophomore goalie Jason Weber who made 14 saves.
 
Against Robert Morris, Anstead had six points on three goals and three assists, while sophomore Kyle Beauregard posted three goals for his first collegiate hat trick.
 
At Bellarmine at the Bellarmine classic, seven of UDM's 12 goals were scored by underclassmen with Anstead leading the way with a hat trick.
 
Through six games, nearly half of Detroit's offense has been scored by underclassmen (freshmen, redshirt freshmen, sophomores) as they have notched 26 goals and 14 assists for 40 points with the UDM's total standing at 58 goals and 33 assists for 91 points.
 
ANSTEAD ON FIRE
Freshman Mark Anstead has made an immediate impact to the Titan offense and he nearly put his name at the top of the freshman record book with his six-point performance against Robert Morris on Feb. 21.
 
Anstead tallied three goals - all in the second period - for his first collegiate hat trick and had his three assists in the second half.
 
The six points were one shy of the Titan freshman record set by current teammate Shayne Adams, who had seven against Mercer - all goals - in 2011.
 
Anstead is the fourth true freshman to reach six points in a game following Adams, Joel Matthews (6 vs. Quinnipiac in 2010) and Tyler Staruch (6 vs. Presbyterian in 2010).
 
He added his second hat trick of the season with three goals and four points at Bellarmine.
 
The Potomac, Md., native currently leads the team with 20 points and nine assists and is tied for the team lead with 11 goals.
 
FIRST 3 FOR KYLE
Sophomore Kyle Beauregard picked a great time for his first three collegiate goals and an even better time to ring up his first hat trick as his third goal was the game winner in overtime against Robert Morris.
 
He played in seven games as a freshman, mostly on the wing, and recorded just one shot. He did not play in the season opener against Ohio State and did not take a shot at Michigan until posting six against RMU, with his three goals coming in the final 13 minutes.
 
On the year, he has five goals on 11 shots.
 
SHEVINS TAKING IT AWAY
Senior Chris Shevins is part of a strong senior backline and the upperclassman played a great game in registering a career-high three caused turnovers with a pair of ground balls against Ohio State. Against Robert Morris, he had two caused turnovers.
 
He has seven caused turnovers on the year and is sixth in the MAAC with 1.17 per game.
 
He has now played in 47 career games and has 20 caused turnovers and 52 GB's.
 
BIRNEY GOES BOOM
Senior Mike Birney is back to lead one of the most experienced midfields in the MAAC.
 
In the season-opening win versus Ohio State, he scored a goal and handed out an assist. He recently had two goals against Mercer, the first time since last year's regular season finale at Monmouth that he had two markers in a game.
 
Birney – the 2013 Most Outstanding Player at the MAAC Championship – was tabbed Second Team All-MAAC for the second-straight year in 2014 and was a preseason All-Conference selection this year.
 
He posted 18 goals and 25 points as a junior, tied for second and fifth, respectively, on the squad in 2014.
 
He now has 57 career goals for fourth in school history, while his 80 points rank sixth. He also has seven career hat tricks.
 
Birney - who has a shot clocked as high as 114 MPH in the summer of 2013 - earned the Most Outstanding Player at the 2013 MAAC Championship, where he recorded eight goals and had a pair of game winners and a career-high five in the title game.
 
BO KNOWS OFFENSE
Senior Brandon Beauregard started all 14 games at midfield last season and finished sixth on the team with a career-best 23 points.
 
He registered 12 assists for fourth on the team, and a career-high 11 goals.
 
It looks like he is in for another career season as he already has 14 points on seven goals and seven assists.
 
He started off strong scoring a goal against Ohio State and had two goals and two assists against Robert Morris, and posted a career-best five points and three assists at Bellarmine.
 
Beauregard currently has 64 points - ninth in school history - on 29 goals and 35 assists - fifth in Titan history - in his career with one hat trick coming at seconded-seeded Notre Dame in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
 
THE BEAT OF HIS DRUM
Senior Scott Drummond tallied a goal - which proved to be the game winner - in the season opener against Ohio State, helping the Titans to their first-ever win over the Buckeyes.
 
He came back to post a man-up goal at Michigan and two more at Bellarmine.
 
The midfielder is coming off his best season culminating in being named Second Team All-MAAC in 2014 as he set career highs with 17 goals, 15 assists and 32 points, good for third on the squad in assists, fourth in points and tied for fourth in goals.
 
He is currently fifth in school history with 86 points and seventh with 48 goals. He also has totaled three hat tricks in his career.
 
GIVE IT UP
Junior Paul Bitetti was selected preseason All-Conference by the MAAC and Inside Lacrosse and he showed exactly why he has received those accolades tallying two caused turnovers against Ohio State and at Michigan. He also picked one up against Marquette and at Bellarmine and is third in the MAAC and 20th in the nation with 1.60 per game.
 
He saw a lot of action as a freshman on the 2013 MAAC Championship team and stepped up his play last year, taking over the top long pole spot and earning First Team All-MAAC. 
 
Bitetti recorded a career and team-high 24 caused turnovers and ended the year 12th in Division I and leading the MAAC with 1.85 caused turnovers per game. He also placed fifth on the Titans with a career-best 22 GB's.