The Basics
Final Score: Detroit Mercy 17, Butler 13
Records: Detroit Mercy 1-2, Butler 0-2
Location: Pontiac, Mich. (Ultimate Soccer Arenas)
PONTIAC, Mich. (2/19/2019) -- Six Titans scored multiple goals and the University of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse team used a strong second half on both sides of the ball for a 17-13 victory in its home opener from Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac. The victory was the first in the head coaching career of
Megan Callahan '13.
Detroit Mercy (1-2), which led 10-9 at halftime over the Bulldogs, scored six of the first seven goals in the second half to take advantage of the contest. The Titans used five different goal scorers during the 6-1 run to take a 16-10 lead with 13:07 left in the game. The red, white and blue allowed just four second-half goals from the Bulldogs as senior goalkeeper
Allison McDonough made five saves in the final 10 minutes and the Titans had three caused turnovers across that stretch.
Senior attacker
Lexie Kinmond led the Titans offensively with two goals and four assists for six points, while senior midfielder
Morgan Girardi had four goals and one assist for five points. Junior midfielder
Kaitlyn Wandelt tallied two goals and two assists, while leading the team with nine draw controls and three caused turnovers.
Freshman midfielder
Elise Harder notched her first collegiate hat trick with three goals, adding seven draw controls as the Titans had 21 as a team, the fourth-most in team history for a single-game. Senior attacker Emma Leszcak and sophomore attacker
Kamryn Corraro each added two goals for Detroit Mercy, while sophomore attacker
Kristina Ellis and freshman midfielder
Taryn McManus each added a goal, with McManus' being her first collegiate goal for the red, white and blue.
Detroit Mercy and Butler traded goals for much of the first half with the Titans scoring the first three of the game. Girardi scored the first on a man-up opportunity before Leszczak scored back-to-back goals on assists from classmates Kinmond and Wandelt. Girardi had a hat trick by the 17:24 mark of the first half as she scored two more goals to give Detroit Mercy a 5-2 lead.
The Bulldogs came back, however, and tied the game up 7-7 with 6:22 left in the first half. Wandelt then answered on a great individual effort and Kinmond and Harder both scored before the halftime break as Harder's goal with 37 seconds left on a free-position chance gave the Titans a 10-9 halftime lead.
Harder opened the second half with a goal off a feed from Kinmond and then Girardi scored just seconds later. Ellis added a goal at the 21:41 mark as Detroit Mercy opened the second half with three consecutive goals to take a 13-9 lead. After a Butler goal, Corraro opened another 3-0 run with her first goal of the season. After Wandelt scored, Corraro then added another to make the score 16-10 with 13:07 remaining.
Butler scored twice after Corraro's second to pull within four goals, 16-12, but McDonough and the Titan defense were dominate in the final 10 minutes of the contest with McDonough turning away several shots -- many of them from close range. Harder added her third goal of the game with 4:12 left on the clock and the Titan defense did the rest down the stretch to seal the first victory of 2019.
Detroit Mercy held the shot advantage in the game, 37-28. The Titans also held a 21-11 lead in draw controls in the contest, securing 13 in the opening half and holding an 8-4 edge in the second frame. The 21 draw controls is tied for the most in school history for a single game with Wandelt (nine DC) and Harder (seven DC) combining for 16 of those draw controls. The Titans also had 11 saves, compared to nine from Butler.
Wandelt led the squad with three caused turnovers, while Kinmond added two CT. Six other Titans had caused turnovers as Detroit Mercy had 11 as a team. Wandelt and Kinmond each tallied four ground balls and senior defender
Alex McCafferty and McDonough both nabbed three GB. Sophomore defender
Sarah Lucas added two ground balls. McDonough made 11 saves in goal, a season-high.
Detroit Mercy was 5-of-9 on free-position opportunities, while Butler went just 1-of-8 on free positions, with McDonough turning away several of the chances.
Titan News & Notes
• Head coach
Megan Callahan '13 player for the Titans from 2010-13 and was the assistant coach in each of the past two seasons.
• Titan freshman
Taryn McManus scored her first collegiate goal in the first half of the contest.
•
Emily Beazley,
Allie Falk and
Jess Turner all each made their collegiate debuts in the game.
• Girardi scored four goals on five shots in the contest; It was her 25th career hat trick and first in 2019.
• Wandelt notched nine draw controls -- one off the school record -- for the second-straight game and has 24 through three games this season.
• Wandelt moved into sole possession of fourth place in career points (180) with her second-straight four-point effort.
• Kinmond has at least three points in all three games this season and leads the squad with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in three contests.
• McDonough recorded 10 or more saves for the 27th game in her career; She has at least nine in all three games in 2019.
• It was the first career hat trick from Harder, who also tallied a season-high with seven draw controls.
• The 21 draw controls as a squad was the fourth-best in single-game school history; School record is 27 against Presbyterian in 2009.
• Wandelt was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week during the game on Tuesday; She had four goals, five GB and nine DC at Marquette on Sunday.
• It was the third-straight victory over Butler in as many seasons; It was the second consecutive game against the Big East.
Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the road for each of the next two contests, traveling to Cincinnati for a non-conference game with the Bearcats on Sunday, Feb. 24 at noon. The Titans then return to play the following weekend in Pittsburgh, playing at Duquense on Sunday, March 3 in a 12 p.m. ET game.
