DETROIT (8/22/2017) -- After a second-half charge brought a road win its last time out, the University of Detroit Mercy women's soccer team is back at home as the Titans host Lawrence Tech on Wednesday.

Game time is set for 3 p.m., at Titan Field.
 

Date: Aug. 23

Opponent: Lawrence Tech

Time: 3 p.m.

Location: Titan Field

Tickets: Free

Live Stats: Click Here

Live Video: Click Here

Twitter Updates: @DetroitWSOC

1,2,3 For A Rookie

• In just her second collegiate game, freshman Rachel Russo scored three second-half goals in a 3-0 road win at Fort Wayne. 
• The hat trick was the first by a Titan since Alyssa Riley did it against Marygrove in 2013, and the first Titan freshman to net a hat trick since Tanya Tiselj had three in 1999 versus Bowling Green. 
• Russo is the third freshmen to record a hat trick joining Tiselj and Cindy Fix (1993). 

Russo Honored By Horizon League

• Freshman forward Rachel Russo was named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week. 
• She helped the Titans record a road win at Fort Wayne by tallying a hat trick in the second half of Detroit Mercy's 3-0 victory. The three goals came on just three shots, including two goals in the opening two minutes of the second half.
• Russo is the first Titan freshman to win the conference's Offensive Player of the Week award since the HL went to an offensive and defensive weekly award format in 2012.
• In terms of offense, she is the first Titan true freshman offensive player to win a player of the week since Gwen Kilfoy in 1998 and just the third joining Kilfoy and Cindy Fix (1993).

Young Blood

• The Titans knew they would be young this year and some early season injuries to junior Molly Kane and sophomore Casey Couturier have pressed even more youngsters into action.
• In the season opener versus Toledo, Detroit Mercy had four freshmen starters and played eight freshmen, while at Fort Wayne, the Titans had five freshmen starters and eight freshmen who saw action.

Home Cooking

• The Titans have been extremely tough defending their home turf as the red, white and blue are 112-54-16 all-time at home. 

Vs. Non-DI's

• Detroit Mercy is 20-1 all-time against current non-Division I schools, including 17-straight victories. The lone loss was on the road to Lynn University (Fla.) in 1998. 

Defense!

• The Titan defense has been impressive, starting the 2017 campaign with two-straight shutouts. It is just the second time the Titans have started the season with a pair of shutouts joining the 1997 squad that defeated Green Bay, 5-0, and Washington State, 4-0.

Odd Stat

• The Titans have been outshot, 26-13, and have seen the opposition take nine corner kicks to their one to start the season. 

Getting Defensive

• The Titans return the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year in senior Rachel DeLuca and the Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year in junior Mariano Manzo.
• The Titans allowed just 1.17 goals per game last season, ninth best in school history and tied for third-best in the Horizon League.

Offensive Action

• Senior Phylisha Drayton was named to the All-Horizon League Second Team last season and is the Titan top returning goal scorer netting five last year. 
• Senior Rachel DeLuca netted 10 points last season on three goals and four assists and is tied with Drayton for the leading returning scorer on the team.
• The Titans will have to replace their top two scorers from a season ago in Anna Mindling (9g, 4a, 22p) and Carley Rice (4g, 4a, 12p). 

The Manzo Watch

• Junior Marina Manzo has played great in net to start the season tallying eight saves in the opening week of play with two shutouts keeping Toledo off the board in a 0-0 tie and recording five saves – four in the second half – to keep the Mastodons at zeros in the road triumph. 
• It has not been an easy task as teams have taken 25 total shots and nine corner kicks. 
• Manzo is now sixth in school history with 187 saves, just four behind Kristi Elliott '00 for fifth place, and is also fourth with 14 shutouts.
• She is also currently second in goals-against average (1.21), fifth in save percentage (.782) and wins (21) and seventh in saves per game (4.26). 

Still Together

• The Titans will once again be in the steady hands of a veteran coaching staff as head coach Mike Lupenec - the only coach in program history - is back to lead the 25th varsity team. 
• He is the only coach in school history and has guided the Titans to a 222-2-6-38 overall mark with conference championships in 1995, 1996 and 2004. The 2004 team also won a game in the NCAA Tournament.
• Lupenec has been voted league Coach of the Year by his peers three times (2000, 2005, 2012).
• His assistant coach Jamie Huff has been at his side for 16 seasons, while goaltending coach Mike Sheehy starts his seventh season on the sidelines

High Expectations

• Detroit Mercy totaled 73 points in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's head coaches, good for third place. The Titans trailed only Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky, who each shared first with 86 votes, including five first-place nods.
• The top six teams in the league will qualify for the Horizon League Championship, with the winner earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
• Last year, the Titans were picked seventh and mocked the preseason voting finishing second at 6-1-2. 

 

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