DETROIT (9/13/2017) -- The Horizon League season is upon us as the University of Detroit Mercy women's soccer team will travel to defending Horizon League regular season champion Milwaukee on Friday.
Game time is set for 8 p.m., at Engelmann Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
After the game, it will be a quick turnaround for the Titans as they host in-state foe Eastern Michigan on Sunday at 5 p.m.
Both games will feature live stats and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
THIS WEEKEND'S ACTION
| Date: Sept. 15 |
Date: Sept. 17 |
| Opponent: at Milwaukee |
Opponent: vs. Eastern Michigan |
| Time: 8 p.m. (EST) |
Time: 5 p.m. |
| Location: Engelmann Stadium |
Location: Titan Field |
| Tickets: $5, $3 |
Tickets: Free |
| Live Stats: Click Here |
Live Stats: Click Here |
| Live Video: Click Here |
Live Video: Click Here |
| Twitter Updates: @DetroitWSOC |
Twitter Updates: @DetroitWSOC |
All-Time In The Horizon League
- The Titans begin conference play against long-time nemesis Milwaukee, a team that they have met eight times in the postseason, including four times in the semifinals and three times in the title contest.
- Detroit Mercy is 88-59-17 all-time in Horizon League action and is coming off a year in which the red, white and blue went 6-1-2 in the conference for second place.
- The Titans have two Horizon League championships beating Milwaukee 4-0 in 1995 and 1-0 in 2004.
Against Milwaukee
- Detroit Mercy trails the overall series 7-21-2, including a 3-11 mark on the road. The Titans are 0-10-1 in the last 11 games against the Panthers and have dropped 10 in a row. The last win was on Nov. 3, 2006, when the Titans upended the Panthers, 1-0, in the Horizon League semifinals.
Against Eastern Michigan
- The Titans will take on their fourth opponent from the Mid-American Conference this season when they host Eastern Michigan.
- Detroit Mercy and EMU have played a number of close games in their history, which has the series at 8-8-4 with six overtime games.
- The Titans are 5-3-3 all-time at home and have won four of the last five overall games from the Eagles.
- The red, white and blue are 38-35-10 all-time against MAC schools.
Shots, Shots, Shots
- The Titans have been outshot this year in seven of their eight games on the season and by a 120-78 margin overall.
- Opponents also have a 26-17 edge in corner kicks as the Titans have had to play a lot of standout defense this season.
Marina's Our Keeper
- Junior Marina Manzo has been the main netminder all season tallying 48 saves and three shutouts so far on the year.
- She also has six games with five or more saves, including a season high nine twice at Pittsburgh and at Northern Arizona. The nine saves are just four behind her career mark of 13 at Green Bay in 2014.
- She currently leads the Horizon League in saves and saves per game (6.00) and is fourth in save percentage (.828), tied for fourth in shutouts and sixth in goals against average (1.22).
The Manzo Watch
- Junior Marina Manzo is now fifth in school history with 227 saves, just three behind Erika Rust (1997-00) for fourth in school history.
- Manzo is also fourth with 15 shutouts, second in goals against average (1.21), third in save percentage (.791), fifth in wins (22) and seventh in saves per game (4.54).
4 Goals And Counting
- Freshman Rachel Russo leads the team with four goals and is tied for the team lead with eight points. She has also taken 12 shots on the year, and nine have been on goal.
- She is tied for fifth in the HL in goals and eighth in points.
Offensive Output
- Detroit Mercy's 5-0 victory over Lawrence Tech marked the most goals scored since beating Youngstown State, 5-1, last season.
DeLuca Does It All
- Offense, defense, set pieces, corners, there is nothing that senior Rachel DeLuca can't do on the field for the Titans.
- Last season, she attempted nearly every corner and set piece for the team, and she is off to that same start with all 17 corners on the year.
- The reigning Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year had three goals and four assists last year and is off to another quick start on offense with four assists and two goals, good for second in assists and tied for eighth in points in the HL.
First Points
- The Titans have a few members who have celebrated their first collegiate points.
- Freshman Rachel Russo got her first points in a big way with three goals at Fort Wayne. Junior Caitlin Carroll - who played at Dayton and Marquette in her first two years - netted her first collegiate goal against Lawrence Tech as did freshman Kelli Doyle.
- Meanwhile, freshman Olivia Parra had her first point on an assist at Fort Wayne and fellow rookie Rima Youssef had a helper against LTU.
Our Three Captains
- Seniors Phylisha Drayton and Suzie Redick along with junior Molly Kane will serve as team captains this season. The leadership will be much needed as just 12 of the 29 Titans on the roster are upperclassmen with 12 true freshmen wearing the red, white and blue.
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 is in his seventh season.
