DETROIT (4/15/2017) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team nearly erased a five-goal deficit, but the Titans were not able to complete the comeback falling, 11-8, to Monmouth on Saturday at Titan Field.
It was Senior Day for the Titans as they honored their five-man senior class in
Kyle Beauregard,
Ben Gjokaj,
Greg Marzec,
Adam Susalla and
Jason Weber before the start of the contest.
Monmouth won their seventh-straight game to improve to 10-3 overall and 4-0 in the MAAC, while Detroit Mercy fell to 5-8, 3-2 in league play. The Titans still control their playoff fate with a win at Marist next week. A loss would have the squad scoreboard watching to see the outcomes of some other conference games in the last two weeks.
Sophomore
Matthew Vangalen led the offense with four points on two goals and two assists, while junior
Alec Gilhooly added two goals and an assist. Beauregard, juniors
Sean Birney and
Charlie Hayes along with freshman
Donavon Dempsey also found the back of the net.
Weber made 13 saves and picked up three ground balls. Freshman
Alex Akins had a season-best three caused turnovers and Hayes scooped up a game and career-high six GB's.
Detroit Mercy found itself down 5-0 midway through the second when the Titans took advantage of a Monmouth penalty as Gilhooly setup Vangalen, and he fired one in at the 7:58 mark. A little more than a minute later, Vangalen found Dempsey cutting to the goal and he found the back of the net with a diving shot.
Detroit Mercy trailed 6-2 at the break, but another Hawks' penalty gave the Titans a scoring chance right out of the gate in the third as Birney ripped one past the keeper.
Monmouth regained a four-goal lead at 7-3 entering the fourth when the red, white and blue went on a 3-0 run. First, on the extra-man attack, Vangalen fed Gilhooly and he put one in with 14:40 left. Off a caused turnover, the Titans got the offense back on the field and this time Birney found Gilhooly and he was able to register his second of the day to make it 7-5 with 9:18 remaining.
Nearly two minutes later off another caused turnover, Hayes was in the offensive zone and he registered his fourth of the season as the Titans were down by just one, 7-6, with 9:18 left.
Monmouth added two scores after that before Vangalen struck for his second goal to pull the squad within two, 9-7, at the 2:49 mark. The Titans were then down 10-7 when Beauregard went to the cage and put on in between the pipes.
Gjokaj was 12-of-19 in faceoffs with five ground balls. Hayes, junior
Will Kane and redshirt freshman
Lucas Leyba each had a caused turnover on the day.
The Titans were 15-of-18 on clears and 3-of-6 with the extra-man unit.
Detroit Mercy will be back in action next Saturday, April 22, as the team travels to face Marist in a 1 p.m., game.
Game Notes:
Detroit Mercy is 3-1 all-time against Monmouth… Monmouth clinched a playoff spot with the win… Detroit Mercy and Monmouth are two of the youngest programs in the MAAC as the Titans started lacrosse in 2009 with the Hawks beginning in 2014… Head coach Chris Kolon and Monmouth's Brian Fisher were teammates at Rutgers attending the institution between 1995-2001… Weber now has 655 career saves… All four of Hayes' goals this year have been in conference play as have all five of his career markers… Gilhooly tied his career high in points as he has 13 goals and five assists this season… Vangalen is now tied for third in school history with 44 points alongside
Alex Maini '15, who had 44 in 2014… Vangalen's 25 goals are also tied for seventh with Maini's 25 he had in 2013, while his 19 assists are fourth in school history just one shy of third place and Scott Harris' 20 he had in 2011…
