HAMDEN, Conn. -- Freshman Max Payton and junior Seth Mendell each netted hat tricks with three goals apiece, and the Titans battled back from a five-goal deficit in the fourth quarter, but the University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team fell to Quinnipiac, 12-9, Saturday in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play.

Payton scored his first collegiate goal midway through the first quarter and completed the hat trick six minutes into the second half. Mendell led Detroit Mercy with 12 shots, landing six on goal.

Detroit Mercy (4-3, 1-1 MAAC) found itself trailing the defending MAAC regular season champions 3-0, but Payton put the red, white and blue on the board with five minutes left in the opening quarter. One minute later, he scored goal number two of his collegiate career as the Titans pulled within two goals of the host Bobcats.

Despite a valiant second-half effort, that's as close as Detroit Mercy would get, as Quinnipiac (3-3, 1-0 MAAC) took a five-goal lead into the half and held strong late in the fourth quarter for the victory.

Junior Matt Turner, sophomore Paul Manuszak and freshman Cam Kostus each scored a goal and added an assist for the Titans. Kostus was second on the team in shots.

Sophomore Logan Shamblin made several clutch stops in net for Detroit Mercy and finished with a career-high 16 saves.

Detroit Mercy had three fewer turnovers than Quinnipiac. Both teams were knotted in shots (50-50), clears (22-22) and caused turnovers (7-7).

After playing their last six games outside Michigan, the Titans finally return to the Great Lakes State next week for their home opener, as they host Monmouth at Titan Field on Saturday, March 23 at 11:30 a.m.

First Quarter:

• Quinnipiac won the opening faceoff and needed just 10 seconds to find the back of the net
• Midway through the quarter, the Bobcats struck again, scoring a pair of goals within 30 seconds to go up 3-0
• Sophomore Ryan Figueiras scooped a ground ball, and the Titans got on the board with five minutes left in the opening quarter, when Turner fed Payton for the first goal of his career
• Quinnipiac scored a quick goal, but the Titans wasted little time responding, as Payton picked up a loose ball near the Bobcats net and rocketed in his second goal of the contest
• Detroit Mercy trailed 5-2 at the end of the opening quarter after Quinnipiac added a goal with 20 seconds left

Second Quarter: 

• Quinnipiac scored a pair of goals early in the quarter to go up 7-2
• Senior Emmett Green tried to end the Titans' skid himself, picking up a ground ball deep in Quinnipiac territory and racing down the field for a scoring opportunity, but his shot went just wide of the net
• Mendell, Detroit Mercy's leading scorer on the season, ended Quinnipiac's run, whipping a shot from the left side of the net after receiving a pass from Manuszak with about a minute left in the first half

Third Quarter:

• Manuszak won the opening faceoff and immediately deposited the ball into the net, cutting Quinnipiac's lead to 8-4
• Payton completed the hat trick with 9:18 left, taking a Green pass and using a deke near the net to find an opening
• Detroit Mercy stayed hot after Kostus ripped a shot from about 10 yards out with the Titans holding a man advantage, but Quinnipiac answered on the ensuing possession to back up by four goals

Fourth Quarter:

• Quinnipiac went up by five goals early in the final frame, but Mendell answered with his second goal of the contest on a man-advantage
• The red, white and blue tried to pull within three goals, and had several good looks shortly after Mendell's goal, but it was Turner who was able to land the blow with 8:02 left
• Detroit Mercy totaled six shots in a two-minute stretch after Turner's goal, but Quinnipiac's defense held strong and the offense put the hosts up 12-8
• The Titans called a timeout with less than three minutes left, and Mendell, with the man-advantage, completed the hat trick on a Kostus feed about a minute later
• Senior Brent Lubin had a shot in the closing seconds but Quinnipiac came up with a save, sealing its 12-9 victory

Game Notes:

• Quinnipiac leads the all-time series 9-2, but both of the Titans' wins came on the road
• Shamblin's previous career high for saves was 15, which occurred on April 20, 2018 vs. Siena and Feb. 2, 2019 vs. Jacksonville
• With Payton scoring, Detroit Mercy now has 14 players on the year with a goal
• Mendell now has a hat trick in four-straight games
• Vangalen now has 58 career assists, six away from the school record of 64 by Alex Maini
• Jarzembowski is now tied for eighth in school history with 125 ground balls