The Basics
Final Score: Detroit Mercy 1, Robert Morris 0
Records: Detroit Mercy 1-2, Robert Morris 0-2-1
Location: Moon Township, Pa. (North Athletic Complex)
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (8/31/2018) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's soccer squad earned a hard-fought victory for its first of 2018, battling down a man the entire second half and keeping host Robert Morris off the scoreboard in a 1-0 road triumph.
Sophomore forward
Mohamad Miri's 40th-minute goal proved to be the difference in the match. Miri, who had hit the crossbar just minutes earlier on a hard shot, received a header flick from senior
Kevin Tapchom and hit a left-footed shot from the left side of the box, past the goalkeeper and inside the far post.
"It was a great combination play between Kevin and Mo, something we have been working on," head coach Nicholas Deren said. "Mo had a big time game. The back line was big time and
Trevor Deon was great.
"The team showed a lot of character today and gutted it out. The togetherness really showed with the team today."
The Titans (1-2) received a red card with less than one minute left in the first half, but the Detroit Mercy defense and freshman goalkeeper
Evan Mazurek -- making his first collegiate start -- were up to the challenge, thwarting every RMU chance during the second half of the shutout win.
Mazurek started his college career strong, saving a penalty kick in the first half after a Detroit Mercy hand ball in the box. Mazurek turned away a low shot to his right for his first collegiate save. He made two saves overall in the contest, facing 11 Robert Morris shots.
"I couldn't be more proud of the kid," Deren said of Mazurek. "He waited for his turn and relished in it. He played really well. For the goalkeeper to get his first win and it to be a shutout in his first start, it's something he'll remember for the rest of his life."
Detroit Mercy nearly made it a two-goal lead early in the second half with sophomore
Demetri Pliakos' header shot glancing off the post. The Titan defense was up to the task the rest of the way, blocking two RMU shots in the second half. Detroit Mercy didn't allow a Colonial shot during the final 10 minutes of the match.
Robert Morris led in shots during the contest, 11-8, and had a slight edge in corner kicks, 7-6. Miri led the Titans with four shots, one of them off a crossbar and the other in the back of the net. Four other players added one shot for the Titans.
Titan News & Notes
• Miri became the second Titan this year to score his first collegiate goal.
• Miri's four shots were a career best; He had seven shots in his Titan career entering the match.
• Tapchom's assist was his first career and also his first career point.
•
Ben Al-Gharabally,
Evan Mazurek and
Jordan Norfolk each made their collegiate debuts.
• It was also the first career starts for
Trevor Deon and Mazurek.
• Detroit Mercy is unbeaten all time against Robert Morris in two meetings, 1-0-1.
• The Titans open the season with eight of nine away from Detroit.
Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the pitch Sunday in Pittsburgh to battle Duquesne for a 3 p.m. ET match. The contest is slated to be seen live on ESPN+ from Rooney Field on the campus of Duquesne. It's just the third meeting in men's soccer between the two squads.
