The Basics
Final Score: Detroit Mercy 1, Oakland 1 (2OT)
Records: Detroit Mercy 2-5-1 (0-2-1 HL), Oakland 4-3-2 (2-0-1 HL)
Location: Rochester, Mich. (Oakland Soccer Field)
ROCHESTER, Mich. (9/28/2019) -- Playing a man down for 32 minutes, the University of Detroit Mercy men's soccer team earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw after 110 minutes with Metro Series rival Oakland in Rochester on Saturday. Detroit Mercy out-shot the Golden Grizzlies in the rivalry match, 12-10.
Detroit Mercy (2-5-1, 0-2-1 HL) earned its first Horizon League points of the 2019 season with the draw.
Sophomore forward
Kyle Bandyk (Novi, Mich.) scored the game-tying goal in the 75th minute off a penalty kick after an Oakland handball in the box. He rifled the PK into the right side of the netting. The goal came just minutes after Oakland scored the first goal of the match in the 69th minute.
Just minutes after the goal, Titan junior
Daniel Iyok (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Rochester) was issued his second yellow card of the match and the Titans were playing a man down from the 79th minute on. The Titans were undeterred, however, and out-shot Oakland the rest of the way, 4-1.
Detroit Mercy had a great chance in the first overtime frame with senior
Aleks Vushaj (Macomb, Mich. / De La Salle Collegiate) racing down the field with the ball and then passing to Bandyk, who put a shot on net, but the Golden Grizzlies made the stop.
Bandyk and junior
Demetri Pliakos (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Rochester) finished the match with four shots each, while senior defender
Garret Weaver (Northville, Mich.) totaled two shots, including one shot on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper
Devin Mendez (Tecumseh, Mich.) made two saves in net for the red, white and blue.
The Titans had a couple of good opportunities early in the game -- including
Dominic Gatson's hard shot that connected with the crossbar in the 14th minute. Just after Gatson's shot Weaver pushed a shot wide on a header attempt off a corner kick.
Eight yellow cards were issued in the match -- including six of them in the second half and two more in the second overtime frame.
Titan News & Notes
• Detroit Mercy and Oakland were meeting for the 29th time in men's soccer.
• Bandyk's goal was his second of the season and fourth of his Titan career.
• Each of the last two games played in Oakland have been draws, with the Titans playing their rivals to a 0-0 draw in 2017.
• It was the Titans' third Horizon League match of the season -- with all three of them coming in Michigan (two home and Saturday at Oakland).
Up Next
The Titans return to the pitch at home on Tuesday, hosting Bowling Green at 7 p.m. in a non-conference match. It's the first of three non-league contests for the Titans with Detroit Mercy heading to Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday, Oct. 4 and then taking on the University of Michigan on Wednesday, Oct. 11 in Ann Arbor.
