DETROIT (10/29/2021) -- The Detroit Mercy men's soccer team travels to the Windy City for a Horizon League showdown at UIC on Saturday, Oct. 30, at 8 p.m. ET.  The game will be broadcast live from the Flames Field on ESPN+.
 
All-Time Series vs UIC:
Detroit Mercy holds a 12-11-5 all-time record against UIC with the Flames winning the last two meetings. The Titans won five out of six matches from 2009 to 2014 including a four-game win streak from 2009 to 2012.
 
What is at stake:
The winner of the match will all but guarantee a position to host a home game in the upcoming 2021 HL Championships.
 
Last Time Out:
Redshirt Kyle Toutanji made his first start in goal of the season allowing only one goal off a penalty kick as the Detroit Mercy men's soccer team was edged at Western Michigan, 1-0, in non-conference action on Wednesday at the WMU Soccer Complex.
 
Sophomore Samory Powder recorded two of the Titans' (4-5-5) three total shots, including one on goal, while sophomore Jackson Towers accounted for the other shot.
 
Titans Among Horizon League's Best:
Freshman forward Samory Powder is fifth in the league in shots per game firing off 2.92 shots per contest on average and sixth in game-winning goals (2).
 
Redshirt-Senior Demetri Pliakos sits fourth in the Horizon League in assists (5).
 
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Jonathan Kliewer has been fantastic in net for the Titans in 2021, ranking first in shutouts (5), goals against average (0.836) and save percentage (.797) while ranking sixth in saves per game (3.62).
 
Kliewer Earns Horizon League Honor:
After posting back-to-back clean sheets against Purdue Fort Wayne and Milwaukee and helping the Titans earn six points in league play, goalkeeper Jonathan Kliewer was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week. Kliewer made a total of five saves, raising his save percentage to a Horizon League best .789 on the year. Additionally, Kliewer now has four shutouts on his rookie season while starting all 12 contests so far in 2021.
 
Pliakos Points:
Senior Demetri Pliakos leads Detroit Mercy in points (11) and assists (5) while being tied for the team lead in goals (3).
 
He had a goal and an assist in the 2-0 road win at IUPUI and also found the back of the net at Michigan in a 1-1 draw. His latest goal came in the 2-0 win from Titan Field against Milwaukee last Saturday, a game in which he also picked up an assist.
 
In his career, he now has 23 points on seven goals and nine assists.
 
A Pliakos has been scoring at Detroit Mercy since 2014 as his older brother, Spiro, had a great career earning All-Horizon League accolades in all four seasons (First Team twice) and was the 2014 Horizon League Freshman of the Year, ending his career with 53 points on 18 goals and 17 assists in 62 career games.
 
More Offense:
Redshirt Kyle Bandyk and Powder rank second on the team in goals (3). Rocco Galati, Ryan Halloran and Stephen Kosto also have a tally each.
 
Dish the Assists:
Redshirt senior Daniel Iyok ranks second on the team in assists (3) behind Pliakos while Bandyk ranks third (2) followed by Brooks Bennett in fourth (1).
 
Senior Send-Off:
Prior to the match against RMU, the Titans honored the eight-man senior class in former Titan Ben Al-Gharabally along with current standouts Kyle Bandyk, Trevor Deon, Dominic Gatson, Daniel Iyok, Demetri Pliakos, Jake Poorman and Reggie Spencer.
 
Next Up:
Detroit Mercy closes out the regular season with a home match against Wright State on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m.