DETROIT (9/15/16) – The University of Detroit Mercy continues its three-match road swing this weekend with tilts at Wright State and Eastern Michigan. The Titans and Raiders kick off the Horizon League schedule on Friday at 7 p.m., before Detroit Mercy heads to Ypsilanti, Mich. for a date with the Eagles on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Live video and stats feeds will be available for Friday night's contest at Wright State, while Sunday's match will offer live statistics. All links can be found below.
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Detroit Mercy has gotten off to a 2-5 start to the season, with a slew of strong non-conference games already under the belt. Three of the Titans' losses have come to "Power Five" opponents, including Big 12 teams Baylor and Texas, as well as Michigan State from the Big Ten.
Oppnents own advantages of 13-7 in goals and 41-35 in shots on goal over Detroit Mercy, while the Titans have a 37-19 edge in corner kicks. The Titans have largely been a second half team in 2016, with six of their goals and 52 of their 80 shots coming in the second stanza.
Senior
Anna Mindling leads the team in points (8), goals (4) and shots (17). The senior ranks third in the HL in goals per game with 0.57. Junior
Suzie Redick has a goal and an assist for three points, followed by
Carly Fiorido and
Phylisha Drayton with a goal apiece. Seniors
Mary LeAnnais and
Carley Rice each have two assists to help power the offense. Junior
Marina Manzo has seen every second in net and is 2-5 with a 1.87 goals against average and .675 save percentage.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Wright State is 2-6 entering conference play after falling in two straight to Belmont and Lipscomb. The Raiders boast shutout wins over Saint Francis (Pa.) and Fort Wayne, while also facing tough competition in No. 13 Notre Dame and Ohio State.
Six different players have scored a goal for the Raiders, led by Niki Romero with two goals and an assist for five points. Aaliyah Patten leads the team with 14 shots and has a goal and an assist to her credit, while Sarah Colvin and Paige Aguilera each have three points on a goal and an assist.
Katie Ruff has started every game in net and leads the Horizon League with 5.25 saves per game. She has given up 14 goals on the season for a 1.75 goals against average, while saving 75-percent of shots faced.
Wright State owns a 13-10-4 record against Detroit Mercy all-time. The Raiders have won two in a row during the series, with the Titans last win coming in 2013 from Titan Field. Last fall, Wright State defeated Detroit Mercy 2-0 in the last game of the season.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Eastern Michigan is an even 2-2-2 entering the weekend, with a date against Illinois State looming on Friday ahead of Sunday's contest. The Eagles have played well through the early portion of the schedule, defeating Oakland in an exhibition and adding a comeback win over Oregon State. EMU's two losses this season have come at the hands of Big Ten opponents Minnesota and Iowa.
EMU's defense has been stout, giving up six goals through six games. Goals have been hard to come by, however, with a 0.67 goals per game average. Ellie Tillar leads the team with a pair of goals for four points, with Michelle Rollins and Nicole Remedios adding the Eagles' other scores.
Kaylin Williams has played every minute in net and owns a 0.92 goals against average with a 80-percent save percentage on 24 saves. Williams has two shutouts to her credit through six games.
The Eagles hold a slight 8-7-4 edge in the all-time series over Detroit Mercy, despite Titan wins in three of the last four contests. Last season,
Molly Kane delivered the game winner with a header off a free kick in the 81
st minute.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Friday and Sunday's matches will be the Titans' sixth and seventh games away from Titan Field already in 2016.
Detroit Mercy is 1-4 away from Titan Field this season, with the lone win coming via a 2-1 comeback win over Sam Houston State. The Titans have scored three goals in four games on the road.
LUPENEC ENTERS 24TH SEASON AS HEAD COACH
Detroit Mercy women's soccer head coach
Mike Lupenec enters his 24th season at the helm of the program. He's the only coach in the history of the program and entered 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. At the beginning of the year, Lupenec entered with an 82-58-14 record all-time in Horizon League matches.
ON TAP
Following this weekend's action, Detroit Mercy returns home to face Madonna on Wednesday, Sept. 21 from Titan Field. The tilt is set to begin at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The 'scarf' game will offer free scarves featuring the Titans' new logos for the first 100 fans in attendance.
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 212. Lupenec, in his 24th season as head coach of Detroit Mercy, is 212-204-35 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 32-9-3 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 31 matches at Titan Field dating back to 2012. Offensively in 2015, the Titans scored 20 of their 23 goals at home.
- The Titans' 2-1 win over Sam Houston State on Aug. 26 was Detroit Mercy's first win away from Titan Field since a 1-0 win over Oakland in the HL Semifinals on Nov. 6, 2014, snapping a string of eight winless tries.
- Junior midfielder Suzie Redick scored the game-winner and assisted on the equalizer in the Titans' 2-1 win over SHSU. Redick's three points in the game was more than she had in all of 2015 and was her first goal since Oct. 10, 2015 vs. UIC. The goal was also her first game-winner and the assist was the first of her career.
- 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 eight points on four goals and a team-high 17 shots.
- Mindling ranks third in the HL with 0.57 goals per game in 2016.
- Five Titans have played every minute so far this season: Manzo, DeLuca, Fiorido, LeAnnais and Tobin.
- 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.
- Detroit Mercy's 2015 team awards were given to Alyssa Lotito (Team MVP, Co-Offensive Player of the Year), Jenifer Borawski (Coaches Award), Anna Mindling (Co-Offensive Player of the Year), Tatum Zurawski (Co-Defensive Player of the Year) and Molly Kane (Co-Defensive Player of the Year).
- The Titans earned the NSCAA 2014-15 Team Academic Award with a 3.70 GPA, the fourth-highest mark in the nation. Detroit Mercy has received the accolade three times in the last five years.
