Detroit Stats  I  LMU Stats  I  CSUN Stats

DETROIT (9/4/2015) – The University of Detroit Mercy women's soccer team hits the road this weekend to take on a pair of Golden State foes in Loyola Marymount and Cal State Northridge.
 
The Titans will square off with LMU on Friday night at 10:00 p.m., before turning their attention to CSUN on Sunday at 4 p.m.
 

Games 5 + 6  |  Detroit (2-2) @ LMU (1-2)  I   @ CSUN (3-1)
Date	Fri., Sept. 4 at 10 p.m.  I  Sun., Sept. 6 at 4 p.m.
Location	Los Angeles, Calif.  I  Northridge, Calif.
Coverage	Live Stats (Fri.)  I   Free Video (Fri.)   I   Live Stats (Sun.)
Social Media	@DetroitTitans  |  @DetroitWSOC  |  Facebook  I  Instagram
All-Time Series	Detroit is 0-1 vs. LMU, falling 2-0 in 2004
	Detroit is 0-1 vs. CSUN, falling 2-1 in OT in 2006

 
Scouting the Titans
Detroit opened the 2015 season with a heartbreaking 3-2 double overtime loss against Toledo after allowing two unanswered goals in the second half and the golden goal in the second extra frame. The Titans bounced back with a 2-0 shutout victory over Ohio, before falling at Michigan, 3-0. Detroit is coming off a 3-1 victory over Bowling Green on Wednesday, tallying three unanswered goals after giving up an early score.
 
Through the first four games of the season, the Titans are even in goals against opponents (7-7). Opponents hold the edge over UDM in shots (62-33), shots on goal (29-18) and corner kicks (23-16). The numbers are misleading, however, as the Titans were outshot 33-1 in a 3-0 loss at the University of Michigan.
 
Alyssa Lotito leads the team with two goals and four points, followed by Sara Zawacki with a goal and assist for three points. Anna Mindling, Tatum Zurawski, Carley Rice and Phylisha Drayton have all netted a goal apiece for two points on the season.
 
Marina Manzo has made three starts in goal for UDM and is 2-1 with a 1.20 goals against average. Manzo has faced 38 shots and made 13 saves for a 81.3 save percentage, with one shutout. Claudia Eustaquio has appeared in two games with one start and is 1-0 with a 2.46 goals against average. Eustaquio has faced 24 shots and made nine saves for a .692 save percentage.
 
Scouting the Lions
Loyola Marymount opened the season with a pair of losses against Big Ten opponents, falling 2-0 against Rutgers and 4-2 at Penn State. The Lions bounced back with a 3-0 win over Bucknell in their home opener.
 
The Lions are being edged in goals (6-5), shots (43-31), shots on goal (20-16) and corner kicks (16-12).
 
Four different LMU players have goals to their credit, led by Jocelyn Blankenship with two goals. Sarina Bolden, Sarah Sanger and Maddie Medved have scored a goal apiece, while Shannon Kent leads the Lions with a pair of assists.
 
Sophia Leksan has received the Lion's share of action in goal and has allowed six goals across three starts. She is 1-2 on the young season and has made 13 saves with a 68.4 save percentage.
 
Scouting the Matadors
Cal State University Northridge suffered a 1-0 overtime loss at Pepperdine in their 2015 opener, but has reeled off three consecutive victories since the setback. The Matadors blanked Portland State, 3-0, and Southern Utah, 2-0, before cruising to a 5-1 victory over New Mexico State. CSUN will face Fresno State on Friday night, prior to their matchup with the Titans.
 
The Matadors hold distinct advantages over opponents in goals scored (10-2), shots (72-40), shots on goal (33-15) and a slight edge in corner kicks (14-12).
 
Cal State Northridge features a pair of high-scoring forwards in Cynthia Sanchez and Kourtney Kutscher, who have each netted three goals apiece and pressured opponents with 14 and 11 shots, respectively. Destinney Duron has a goal and three assists to her credit for five points, followed by Kiley Norkus with a pair of goals. CSUN features a balanced attack, with 10 players recording a point already this season.
 
Jovani McCaskill has allowed just one goal in three starts and proves to be a difficult task for opponents. She has two shutouts to her credit and is 3-0 with a 0.33 goals against average and 91.7 save percentage.
 
Detroit Picked to Finish Third in the Horizon League
The Titans were selected to finish third in the Horizon League women's soccer preseason poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Detroit, the runner-up in the league in 2014, received 60 points overall, just three points behind second-place Oakland (63 points). The defending league champion, Valparaiso, earned nine first-place votes and was the unanimous selection to win the conference again in 2015.
 
All-Time Series
The meetings with LMU and CSUN will be just the second match between the teams in the all-time series history. Detroit is still searching for its first victory against either team. The Titans fell to Loyola Marymount, 2-0 in the first meeting in 2004. UDM fell to Cal State Northridge, 2-1 in overtime from Hawaii in 2006.
 
Senior Class
The Titans have six seniors for the 2015 season. Midfielder Jennifer Borawski, goalkeeper Martha Dunbar, defenders Alyssa Lotito, Ellyn Nedwicki, Tatum Zurawski and forward Sara Zawacki are each entering their senior campaigns with the Titans. The group has combined to win 29 games over the past two seasons, reaching the Horizon League semifinals or better in each year with a trip to the conference championship game last year.
 
Lupenec Enters 23rd Season as Head Coach
Detroit women's soccer head coach Mike Lupenec enters his 23rd season at the helm of the program. He's the only coach in the history of the program. He reached 200 career victories last year in a 1-0 victory at home over Youngstown State and now has 204 career wins.
 
Lupenec has guided the Titans to five Horizon League championship games, earning the tournament title in 2004 as the squad made its only appearance in the NCAA Tournament that year. Detroit has reached the Horizon League semifinals each of the past five years under Lupenec, finishing with a .500 record or better in all five seasons. He holds a 79-53-13 record all-time in Horizon League matches.
 
Returning to his staff this year is assistant coach Jamie Huff, who is in his 14th season with the program, fourth-year goaltending coach Mike Sheehy and graduate assistant Abby McCollum.
 
Record Books
Senior defender Alyssa Lotito enters the 2015 campaign eighth all-time in assists with 15 -- all coming in the past two seasons. Lotito is two assists away from tying Titan Hall of Famer Mary Parker for seventh on the all-time career list at 17. She led the Horizon League with 11 assists in 2013 and had a team-high four assists in 2014. The 11 assists in 2013 were the most for a Detroit women's soccer player since 2004.
 
Up Next
After the west coast swing, the Titans return home to Titan Field on Thursday against in-state foe Eastern Michigan. The match is set to start at 3 p.m. and will be Detroit's last tune-up before the beginning of Horizon League play, which starts Sept. 18 at home against Green Bay.