DETROIT (10/13/16) – The University of Detroit Mercy returns to Titan Field for Senior Day on Saturday against Cleveland State. The Titans and Vikings will square off at 1 p.m. in Horizon League action on ESPN3, with the senior class being honored prior to the start of the match.
 

Game #15 - Detroit Mercy (7-6-1, 3-1-1 HL) vs. Cleveland State (4-9-0, 1-4-0 HL)
Date	Sat., Oct. 15	1 p.m.
Location	Titan Field	Detroit, Mich.
Coverage	Live Stats	ESPN3
Social Media	@DetroitTitans	@DetroitWSOC
	Facebook	Instagram
All-Time Series	Detroit Mercy leads, 7-3-2

 
SENIOR DAY
Prior to the start of Saturday's match, the senior class of Aubrey Formica, Mary LeAnnais, Anna Mindling, Carley Rice, Kristen Tobin and Kaitlan Vossen will be honored for their dedication and commitment to the Titan soccer program.
 

We will honor our seniors on Saturday against Cleveland State! #GoTitans #SeniorDay #HLWSOC pic.twitter.com/MGJjxA5Ol3

— Detroit Mercy WSOC (@DetroitWSOC) October 13, 2016

 
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Detroit Mercy enters the contest at 7-6-1 overall and 3-1-1 in Horizon League play. The Titans had a five-game unbeaten streak snapped on a last minute goal in double overtime to Milwaukee, but bounced back with a 2-1 win at Green Bay in their last outing. The Titans played a strong non-conference schedule prior to the start of league action, with three of its six losses coming to "Power Five" opponents from the Big 12 and Big Ten. In the last seven games, Detroit Mercy is 5-1-1.
 
Through 14 games, the Titan offense holds advantages of 20-18 in goals and a dominant 76-53 edge in corner kicks. Opponents hold a slight advantage in total shots, 171-164. The Titans are second in the HL with 1.43 goals per game and tied for fourth defensively with a 1.29 goals against average.
 
Mindling leads the team in points (17) and goals (8), with classmate Carley Rice and junior Rachel DeLuca tallying eight points apiece. Rice leads the team with four assists and has two goals, while DeLuca has three goals and a pair of helpers to her credit. Junior Phylisha Drayton has scored three times for six points on the season and leads the team with 31 total shots.
 
Junior Marina Manzo has 13 starts and is 6-6-1 with a 1.27 goals against average and .767 save percentage. Sophomore Sarah Hirschmann got her first start in net vs. EMU and picked up the win after allowing one goal on 12 shots faced.
 
SECOND HALF HEROES
Detroit Mercy has been a strong second half team in 2016, with 13 of its 20 goals and 64.0% of their shots (105-of-164) coming after halftime. The Titans are 2-1 in matches decided in overtime this fall.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
The Titans are 34-10-3 in home games since the beginning of the 2011 season. Detroit Mercy finished 7-3-1 from Titan Field in 2015 and are 3-2 at home in 2016. Defensively, the Titans have recorded 22 total shutouts in its last 34 matches at Titan Field dating back to 2012.
 
LEADING THE WAY
Mindling leads the Horizon League in goals with eight and is tied for first with 17 points. She is first in goals per game (0.57) and ranks second in points per game (1.21). The senior led Detroit Mercy in points last season with 12 and has blown past that total through 14 games in the 2016 campaign. With eight goals, Mindling became the first Titan with seven or more goals since Titan Hall of Famer Mary Parker, who accomplished the feat in 2006 with 17 goals.
 
Mindling was named the Horizon League's Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 26 for leading Detroit Mercy to a 2-0 week with a pair of goals and eight shots.
 
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State is currently in eighth place at 1-4 in conference play, while posting a 4-9 record on the season. The Vikings have lost their last three games, all of which were home games. CSU is just 1-6 in home games, but boasts a .500 road record at 3-3. The last game Cleveland State won was a 3-2 triumph at Oakland on Sept. 24.
 
Goals have been hard to come by for the Vikings as the squad enters the match with 13 goals in as many games for a 1.00 goals scored average.
 
Senior Kaila Sargema leads the team with five markers on the season for 10 points, with a team-high 31 total shots recorded. Freshman Aliani Lorenzo is second on the team with seven points on three goals and an assist in six games played. Junior Katie Bainbridge has a goal and an assist to round out the top offensive performers in 2016.
 
Junior goalkeeper Jamie Daniels has seen the lion's share of time in net and is 4-9 with a 1.63 goals against average and .761 save percentage to go along with three shutouts.

ALL-TIME SERIES
The Titans own a 7-3-2 advantage in the all-time series vs. Cleveland State that dates back to 2004. In the last four games of the series, the home team has won each matchup with the teams each going 2-2. The Vikings prevailed over Detroit Mercy last fall, 1-0, from Cleveland, Ohio.
 
ON TAP
Following Saturday's match, the Titans return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 19 against Metro Series rival Oakland. The match is a home game for Detroit Mercy, with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. from Titan Field. A pep rally will be held following the match, with Titan basketball's 'Hoop Night in the D' beginning at 7 p.m. in Calihan Hall.
 
DETROIT MERCY QUICK NOTES

• The Titans have posted .500 or better records in five of the last six seasons under Lupenec, who is the Horizon League's all-time active wins leader with 218. Lupenec, in his 24th season as head coach of Detroit Mercy, is 218-205-36 to date.
• The Titans have reached the Horizon League Tournament semifinals in five of the last six seasons, with the only miss coming in 2015. Detroit Mercy finished runners-up in 2014, falling to Valparaiso 1-0 in the HL Championship.
• The Titans are 34-10-3 in home games since the beginning of the 2011 season. Detroit Mercy finished 7-3-1 from Titan Field in 2015 and are 3-2 in 2016. Defensively, the Titans have recorded 22 total shutouts in its last 34 matches at Titan Field dating back to 2012.
• Senior captain Anna Mindling led the team in points and shots in 2015, with four goals and four assists for 12 points. The forward is atop the statistical rankings again in 2016, leading the team with 17 points on eight goals and an assist.
• Mindling leads the HL in goals (8) and points (17) and is second in goals per game (0.57) and points per game (1.21) in 2016.
• Rice tallied a career-high five points in the win over YSU with two goals and an assist.
• Three Titans have played every minute so far this season: DeLuca, Fiorido and Tobin.
• Seven Titans have started every game for Detroit Mercy: DeLuca, Fiorido, Tobin, Rice, Kane, Mindling and Drayton.
• The Titans were picked to finish seventh in the 2016 Horizon League preseason poll after being chosen third and finishing seventh in 2015.
• The Titans return All-Freshman Horizon League (2015) selection Molly Kane, as well two of its top point scorers from last fall in Anna Mindling (4 G, 4 A) and Phylisha Drayton (4 G, 1 A).
• Seniors Anna Mindling and Kristen Tobin, along with junior Phylisha Drayton and sophomore Molly Kane were voted team captains for 2016.
• Detroit Mercy returns 11 letter-winners from 2015, including seven starters. The Titans welcome eight newcomers in 2016, including two transfers.
• The Titans played two exhibitions prior to the start of the regular season, opening play with a 3-1 win over Rochester College and a 2-0 loss to Central Michigan University.
• The Titans missed the HL Playoffs in 2015, snapping a streak of five consecutive seasons of postseason action.
• The Titans earned the NSCAA 2014-15 Team Academic Award with a 3.70 GPA, the fourth-highest mark in the nation, and received the accolade again in 2015-16 with a 3.50 GPA. Detroit Mercy has received the accolade four times in the last six years.