The Basics
Final Score: Mercer 9, Detroit Mercy 7
Records: Detroit Mercy 2-7 (0-2 ASUN), Mercer 7-2 (2-0 ASUN)
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Titan Field)
DETROIT (3/26/2017) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse team rallied with four-straight goals late in the second half Sunday afternoon, but the Titans ultimately dropped their second-straight league game to visiting Mercer, 9-7.
On a rainy day from Titan Field, Detroit Mercy trailed 9-3 midway through the second half before beginning to amount a comeback. Junior
Emma Mucci won a draw control and just over a minute later, sophomore midfielder
Morgan Girardi found the back of the net off a feed from sophomore attack
Lexie Kinmond. The marker pulled the Titans to within five, 9-4, with 14:40 on the clock.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Allison McDonough played a big role in the comeback bid, making six saves in the second half -- including three stops in the span of three minutes after Girardi's goal. With just under 10 minutes left on the clock, junior
Jordyn Beam crashed the net and scored her second of the game and the Titans were down by just four, 9-5.
Kinmond added another goal just 39 seconds later after junior
Brianna Plester won a draw control. Kinmond's goal pulled Detroit Mercy to within three, 9-6, with 9:05 remaining and forcing the Bears into a timeout.
McDonough came up with another big stop at the 6-minute mark and after a failed Mercer clear, the Titans again found the back of the net, scoring their fourth-straight off the stick of Plester with 4:09 left on the clock. Her goal had the Titans trailing by just two, 9-7.
Mercer controlled the ball for nearly the next two minutes before Mucci forced a turnover. The Titans cleared the ball, but then turned it over with less than 30 seconds left as the comeback bid came to an end.
The Bears opened the game with two goals, but Detroit Mercy came right back with the next two -- one by senior
Kelsi Pritchard and the next from Kinmond just minutes later. Mercer would score the next four, but the Titans scored the final marker before the break with Beam receiving a pass from Girardi and scoring on a charge from the wing as the squad trailed 6-3 at the break.
McDonough had another great effort in-between the pipes for the Titans, recording 10 saves for her second-straight double-digit save effort and sixth overall this season. She had a team-high six ground balls and two caused turnovers.
Kinmond had two goals and one assist, while Beam finished the game with two goals. Girardi had two goals for the Titans. Junior defender
Emma DeYoung had two draw controls and two ground balls, while Mucci and Girardi each added two draw controls. Junior
Lauren Webley and senior
Kelsi Pritchard both tallied two caused turnovers, while Webley, Girardi and Plester all had three ground balls.
Detroit Mercy was strong in the draw circle on the day, securing eight of the first 10 and earning a 10-7 edge on the day. Detroit Mercy also had the advantage in ground balls (23-22) and saves (10-8), but committed 23 turnovers and was 13-of-21 on clear attempts. Mercer had 25 shots, while Detroit Mercy fired 24 shots on the afternoon.
It was the third game this season in which Detroit Mercy has fallen by two goals or less. Detroit Mercy also dropped a 9-7 contest to Robert Morris and fell by just one at Duquesne, 10-9.
Up Next
Detroit Mercy has a pair of home games next week, hosting Furman at 3 p.m. Friday, March 31 before welcoming league-newcomer Coastal Carolina to campus on Sunday for a 12 p.m. game. Both contests may be seen on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN Applications.
