DETROIT (4/6/2019) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team used another strong defensive effort to win another league game as the Titans downed Manhattan, 10-5, on Saturday afternoon.

Detroit Mercy (7-3, 4-1 MAAC) saw Manhattan (5-6, 1-3 MAAC) turn the ball over 20 times and the Titans also won the battle of ground balls, 37-27.

Sophomore Paul Manuszak was all over the field, tying his career high with three caused turnovers and recording a career-best seven ground balls, while sophomore Logan Shamblin made 11 saves in net. 

Sophomore Brett Erskine scored two goals and junior Seth Mendell and freshman AJ Van Voorhis each had a goal and two assists to lead nine Titan goal scorers on the day, while junior Alex Jarzembowski was 13-of-19 in faceoffs with seven ground balls.

Detroit Mercy started the game with two goals in the first 10 minutes as Erskine and senior Matthew Vangalen found the back of the net, but Manhattan tied the game at 2-2 with two goals within 1:15.

That is when the red, white and blue took control with six-straight goals for an 8-2 advantage with less than four minutes to go in the second period.

The Titans also led by six at 10-4 early in the fourth. 

Mendell also added four ground balls and seniors Mike Sforza and Sam Horton along with redshirt sophomore Sam McClain each had a caused turnover. 

Detroit Mercy outshot Manhattan, 40-36, and was 18-of-21 on clears. 

The Titans will be back at home next weekend, Apr. 13, when the red, white and blue host defensing MAAC Championships and Jesuit-rival Canisius in a rematch of the 2018 conference championship game. Game time is set for Noon with Senior Day festivities starting at 11:45.

First Quarter:

• Shamblin had a save at 11:45 and that led to some offense as Erskine scored the game's first goal at 10:47
• After a couple of turnovers by each team, the Titans killed off a 30-second penalty as Shamblin made another save
• Mendell found Vangalen and he buried one in the back of the net for a 2-0 lead at 5:18
• Manhattan came back to tie it with markers at 4:45 and 3:30
• Detroit Mercy went back ahead as Kostus put one between the pipes with just 17 seconds left in the half, which started a 6-0 run

Second Quarter:

• Each goalie had a couple of saves, but Voorhis beat the keeper for a 4-2 lead with 11:52 on the clock
• Off a caused turnover by Sforza, Detroit Mercy started its offense and after a timeout, Mendell fed senior Connor Bennardo and he found the back of the net with 8:38 left
• In the next faceoff, Jarzembowski won the battle with Manuszak picking up the ground ball and eventually the ball went to sophomore Ollie Nigh, who scored to make it 6-2
• Once again, another faceoff win by Jarzembowski put the Titans back on offense and Voorhis found Erskine and he tickled the twine for a 7-2 lead with 7:54 remaining
• Horton was able to cause a turnover and a fastbreak started with Voorhis passing to junior Matt Turner for a strike at 3:57 and an 8-2 advantage

Third Quarter:

• Nearly 10 minutes went by with each defense getting some turnovers before Manhattan took advantage of a Titan penalty and a goal cut the lead in half, 8-4, at 5:33
• Mendell got that goal back at 2:29 for a 9-4 lead

Fourth Quarter:

• Manuszak had two caused turnovers early on and his second led to a Titan goal as freshman David Beacom fed freshman Max Payton and he made it 10-4 with 11:14 remaining
• Shamblin made four saves in the next six minutes and Manhattan scored on the man-up to make it 10-5 with 4:36 left
• Shamblin would make two more saves in the final 3:46

Game Notes:

• Detroit Mercy has won five in a row - three of those by at least six goals - and now leads the all-time series, 7-4
• The Titans have won all five meetings in Detroit
• The four wins in MAAC play is one away from the school record of five that the Titans had last year
• The assist for Beacom was his first career point
• Jarzembowski now has 142 career ground balls, seventh in school history and just five away from former teammate Charlie Hayes
• Jarzembowski now has 62 ground balls on the year, moving to fifth in school history and four away from the fourth spot and Jordan Houtby's 66 in 2012
• Mendell's 25 goals are now tied for the ninth-most in a single season in school history with Alex Maini (2013)
• Shamblin has now allowed 10 goals or less in 17 of his 25 games, including 13 contests with less than 10 goals
• Shamblin is now 9-1 against the MAAC in the regular season in his career