The Basics
Final Score: Detroit Mercy 2, Northern Kentucky 0
Records: Detroit Mercy 4-7-1 (1-2-1 HL), NKU 4-6-1 (2-3-0 HL)
Location: Detroit, Mich. (Titan Field)

DETROIT (10/12/2019) - The University of Detroit Mercy men's soccer team put some heat on the field on a chilly October night in the Motor City as the Titans scored a pair of goals and the defense did the rest in a 2-0 blanking of visiting Northern Kentucky on Saturday from Titan Field.

Detroit Mercy (4-7-1, 1-2-1 HL) saw sophomore GK Devin Mendez tally seven saves against NKU (4-6-1, 2-3-0 HL) with sophomore forward Ryan Pierson scoring his first collegiate goal off a rebound late in the first half before Pierson set up the game-winner in the 87th minute on a feed to Daniel Iyok.

The Titans found the back of the net late in the first half as sophomore Ryan Pierson beat the keeper and then extended their lead to 2-0 late in the contest as Mendez started a fast break off a great pass and junior Daniel Iyok, wide open in front of the goal, buried the shot in net for his first goal of the season. 
 
Northern Kentucky had several shots on goal early, but the Titans had their changes as well countering with some good looks by junior Demetri Pliakos, whose two corners in the 20th minute provided some opportunities. The Titans also had two shots on net by Iyok and senior Garret Weaver that were both saved and blocked by the NKU goalkeeper Baj Maan. The NKU defense was not enough as the sophomore Ryan Pierson was able to score off an assist by junior Mohamad Miri and score in the 43rd minute just before the halftime break. At the half, Mendez had six saves for the Titans to help preserve a 1-0 lead.

Pliakos opened the second half with a shot and two corners within the 26th minute to try and add another goal to the Titans lead but came up short. The Titans put the match away late as they went on to score the game-winning goal by Iyok in the 87th minute.

The Norse didn't have another look on net the remainder of the game as the Detroit Mercy defense was up to the task with its third shutout of the season. NKU held the shot advantage in the game, 17-11, but Detroit Mercy made seven saves against the Norse's five. Each team had five corner kicks in the contest.
 

A 👀 at both goals in Saturday's 2-0 win over NKU!

43' - Ryan Pierson (Mohamad Miri)
87' - Daniel Iyok (Ryan Pierson)#HLMSOC | #TitansForLife⚔️ pic.twitter.com/ODyxaL5rWV

— Detroit Mercy MSOC (@UDMSoccer) October 13, 2019

First Half:

• The game began early with three back to back shots by Northern Kentucky that were all saved by Mendez.
• Two corners by NKU were headed out by the Titans.
• A corner kick opportunity for Pliakos came twice as the first just glided over the net and the second missing his teammate's header.
• A shot placed by Weaver just wide of the net was blocked by the NKU goalkeeper.
• A shot by Iyok was saved by NKU goalkeeper.
• Mendez added three more saves by the end of the first half.
• First goal for Pierson at the 43rd minute with an assist from Miri.

Second Half:

• A shot by NKU blocked by a Titan defender.
• A corner by NKU to a header was blocked by the Titans.
• Pliakos with a pair of corner kicks and a shot within two minutes of each other short of the goal.
• Shot by Justin Murray was high above the goal.
• A corner by Pliakos was shy of the net.
• Pliakos attempted a shot shortly after that was also shy of the net that resulted in another corner kick saved by the NKU goalkeeper.
• A shot by NKU was blocked by junior Mohamad Miri.
• A shot back to back by NKU were both saved by Mendez.
• A goal by Iyok with an assist from Pierson ended the game.

Up Next
Detroit Mercy will return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 15, against Western Illinois in a 4 p.m. match on the road. It's the start of three-straight away from Titan Field.