The Basics
Final Score: Detroit Mercy 16, Furman 13
Records: Detroit Mercy 8-6 (3-1 SoCon), Furman 4-10 (1-2 SoCon)
Location: Greenville, S.C. (Paladin Stadium)
GREENVILLE, S.C. (4/14/2018) -- The old adage goes, "it's not how you start, but how you finish." That couldn't have been more true for the University of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse team Saturday afternoon with the Titans rallying from a 5-0 deficit to storm back and win 16-13 on the road at Furman.
With the victory, Detroit Mercy picked up a big Southern Conference victory, officially clinching a spot in the postseason tournament and giving themselves a chance at a regular-season title. Detroit Mercy (8-6 overall) improved to 3-1 in SoCon play. The Titans control their own destiny and with a win over Central Michigan on April 28, would earn the No. 1 seed in the 2018 SoCon Championship.
The Titans won their fourth-straight game and fifth in their past six contests in come-from-behind fashion. Down 5-0 early on in the game, the Titans closed the first half on a 6-2 run to pull within one goal at the halftime break, 7-6.
Detroit Mercy then scored five consecutive goals in the second half to take a 12-9 lead. It was an advantage that they wouldn't relinquish. Junior
Morgan Girardi opened the 5-0 run with her first goal of the game. Freshman
Meredith Moore tied the game 9-9 and then just a minute later, redshirt sophomore
Kaitlyn Wandelt scored to give Detroit Mercy a 10-9 lead. Junior
Lexie Kinmond added another goal just one minute later and then assisted on Wandelt's sixth goal of the game as the Titans led 12-9 with 21:09 left.
Furman scored three of the next four goals to pull within one, 13-12, with 10:39 remaining on the clock. Junior
Emma Leszczak ended the mini-Furman run as she took a pass from Moore and found the back of the net. The Paladins again pulled to one goal, 14-13, with 5:25 left, but Girardi scored the final two goals of the contest, both inside the final four minutes.
Girardi's first came at the 3:49 mark off a free-position opportunity and then after a pair of Furman turnovers, Girardi capitalized, getting a pass from Kinmond and putting the game out of reach, making it a three-goal cushion, 16-13, with just 1:55 on the clock. Senior defender
Brittany Fenney won the ensuing draw control and the Titans burned most of the remaining seconds on the clock.
The Paladins opened the game with five-straight goals, but Detroit Mercy chipped away at the lead. Senior
Jessica Snyder scored the first Titan goal at the 13:58 mark of the first half and Wandelt took a great pass from Kinmond and scored just over one minute later.
Senior attacker
Jordyn Beam scored the next two Detroit Mercy goals, the second of which she scored from the ground after she was fouled hard. Wandelt scored the final two Titan goals of the first half. Her third goal of the game came just before the halftime buzzer as she fired a long shot past the Furman goalkeeper on a free-position chance.
Detroit Mercy out-shot Furman during the second half, 19-9, and finished the game with a 33-28 advantage in shots. The Titans were efficient as well, putting 29 of their 33 shots on net. Detroit Mercy also earned 11 free-position shots and went 14-of-17 on clear attempts, including 10-of-10 in the first half. The Titans grabbed 13 draw controls and 20 ground balls.
Detroit Mercy also had a season-low 11 turnovers.
Wandelt led the squad offensively, scoring a hat trick in each half for six goals. Girardi added four goals, while Kinmond had one goal and three assists for the Titans. Beam (two goals) and Moore (one goal, one assist) also had multiple-point games for Detroit Mercy.
Freshman attacker
Kristina Ellis was another key, earning a career-best eight draw controls. Wandelt had three DC and Fenney nabbed two draw controls. Girardi led the squad with five ground balls, while Wandelt and Moore each added three GB. Wandelt also had a team-best two caused turnovers and went 3-of-4 on free-position shots.
The four-game win streak is the first since the end of last season, when Detroit Mercy closed out the 2017 season with four-straight victories. The Titans also improved to 4-4 on the road this season and 2-0 in road league games.
Titan News & Notes
• Wandelt has scored five or more goals six times this season.
• Girardi went past 30 goals on the season (33) for the third-consecutive campaign; Her career-high is 43.
• Ellis' eight draw controls were a career-high and the second most of a Titan player this season (Wandelt had nine DC at Butler).
• Kinmond is four assists (80 career helpers) shy of the career record of 84, held by former Titan standout Tessa Keuler.
• Wandelt has 20 goals in four SoCon contests this season; She is one goal shy of 50 on the season.
• The Titans have their fewest turnovers in the past two games -- 12 at Wofford, 11 at Furman.
• Detroit Mercy's 87.9 shot-on-goal percentage is the second best of the 2018 campaign.
• Detroit Mercy and Furman were meeting for the fourth time in women's lacrosse (series tied 2-2).
Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the road next weekend, playing a pair of non-conference contests against Coastal Carolina on Thursday, April 19 and Old Dominion on Sunday, April 22. It's the final two true road contests of the season for the Titans, which have one more home game on April 28 against Central Michigan.
