2016 Prospectus
DETROIT (8/17/16) – The University of Detroit Mercy women's soccer team opens its 24th season on Friday afternoon, hosting the University of Baylor in its 2016 regular season and home opener at Titan Field. The 3 p.m. match is set to be broadcast live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
FREE POSTERS, AUTOGRAPHS
Admission is free and free team posters will be available for pickup. The team will also hang around after the game to sign autographs for fans in attendance.
HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
The Titans were selected to finish seventh in the Horizon League women's soccer preseason poll, as voted on by the league's coaches. Detroit Mercy narrowly missed the HL Tournament a year ago, snapping a string of five straight seasons of postseason action.
Defending champion Oakland was picked to finish first, one point ahead of runner-up Milwaukee. Northern Kentucky was slated third, followed by Valparaiso and Wright State in a tie for fourth.
HOME COOKIN'
The Titans are 32-8-3 in home games since the beginning of the 2011 season. Detroit Mercy finished 7-3-1 from Titan Field in 2015. Defensively, the Titans have recorded 21 total shutouts in its last 30 matches at Titan Field dating back to 2012. On the other end of the pitch in 2015, the Titans scored 20 of their 23 goals at home.
EXHIBITION RECAPS
Detroit Mercy opened its 2016 exhibition season with a 3-1 victory over Rochester College on Aug. 8. Senior
Anna Mindling and juniors
Phylisha Drayton and
Rachel DeLuca each scored in the victory.
In the Titans' second exhibition game on Aug. 14, Detroit Mercy dropped a 2-0 decision to Central Michigan. The Chippewas broke a scoreless affair with two goals in the second half.
ALL-TIME SERIES
This is the first ever meeting between the Detroit Mercy Titans and the Baylor Bears.
LUPENEC ENTERS 24TH SEASON AS HEAD COACH
Detroit Mercy women's soccer head coach
Mike Lupenec enters his 24
th season at the helm of the program. He's the only coach in the history of the program and enters the season as the Horizon League's active coaching leader in overall victories with 211.
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 and maintained a .500 or better record in five of the last six years under Lupenec. He holds a 82-58-14 record all-time in Horizon League matches.
ON TAP
Following the season opener against Baylor, the Titans hit the road for four straight games, beginning with a road trip to the Lone Star State to take on Sam Houston State (Aug. 26, 5:30 p.m.) and Texas (Aug. 28, 3 p.m.).
