DETROIT (3/29/2021) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's soccer team hits the road for its final road match of the regular season with the Titans heading to Indiana to play Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday. The match is slated for a 12 p.m. ET start from the Hefner Soccer Complex.

The Titans (2-4, 2-4 Horizon League) are coming off a 2-1 come-from-behind home victory over IUPUI on March 12. Detroit Mercy's last two matches were canceled due to Covid-19 protocols within the program. Purdue Fort Wayne (2-5, 2-5 HL) is coming off a pause, as well, and last played on March 18, when the Mastodons fell to UIC, 5-0.

The Titans
Detroit Mercy earned a 2-1 victory at home in its last match, scoring two second-half goals from senior Demetri Pliakos and freshman Samory Powder. Senior Jake Poorman (one goal, two assists) and Powder (two goals) are tied for the team lead with four points each. Six different Titans have found the back of the net this season. Junior defender Ryan Halloran has a team-best three assists, while Pliakos has added three points for the red, white and blue this season. Powder has team-highs with 15 shots and six shots on frame.

In net, redshirt junior goalkeeper Devin Mendez has played all 551 minutes this season and has made 19 saves, while holding a 61.3% save percentage through six matches for the Titans. As a team, the Titans are averaging 11.7 shots per game, totaling 70 shots total, while their opponents have 77 shots on the year. The Titans have the edge in corner kicks, 40-35.

Nicholas Deren '99 is in his 11th full season with the Titans, having coached the team to two regular-season Horizon League titles (2012, 2014) and 66 victories during his tenure with Detroit Mercy.

Scouting Purdue Fort Wayne
The Mastodons are 2-5 this season with victories coming over IUPUI and Green Bay in back-to-back games in February. Purdue Fort Wayne has dropped its past three matches, falling to Robert Morris, Cleveland State and UIC, the first two of those on the road. The Mastodons are 1-2 in matches played at home in 2021.

Junior midfielder Logan Lee leads the Mastodons in goals (three) and points (seven) through seven matches. Freshman forward Luke Benford has added two goals for Purdue Fort Wayne. Senior forward Mathias Mikalsen and freshman defender Romario Simpson both have three points on one goal and one assist. Freshman GK Erik Josson has played every minute in net for the Mastodons this season and holds a 73.3% save percentage with 33 total saves.

All-Time Series
The Titans are 12-3-4 all-time in 19 career meetings with Purdue Fort Wayne, which includes a 1-0 road victory during the 2019 season. Titan senior Demetri Pliakos scored the game-winning goal with just seconds remaining in the 1-0 win. Detroit Mercy is 7-2-1 in road games with the Mastodons in the all-time series. It's the first meeting between the two programs as Horizon League opponents.

Mendez Named Candidate for Senior Class Award
Titan redshirt junior goalkeeper Devin Mendez (Tecumseh, Mich.) was selected on March 24 as one of 30 Division I men's soccer student-athletes nationally to be considered for the Senior CLASS Award honor. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: Community, Classroom, Character and Competition.

Mendez is the fifth Titan men's soccer student-athlete to be considered a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award in the past six seasons. Mendez was one of three men's soccer student-athletes to represent the Horizon League, among the 30 candidates overall for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award.

First Career Goals
Titan freshman forward Isaac Shiner scored his first collegiate goal in the Titans road match at Oakland in late February. Shiner became the third Titan to score his first career goal this season, along with senior defender Jake Poorman and freshman forward Samory Powder. Poorman scored the game-winning goal in the opener at NKU, while Powder scored his first career goal against Wright State at home.

Milestone Watch
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Devin Mendez is in ninth in career saves in Titan men's soccer history with 145. In eighth place in career saves is Brandon Waterstradt (2009-10) with 147 career stops. After that, in the No. 7 spot in career saves for Titan goalkeepers is Bryan Kloss (2006-08) with 151 stops for the Titans.

Up Next
The Titans close out the regular season at home on Monday, April 5 hosting UIC for Senior Day from Titan Field. The match is slated for a 1 p.m. ET start time is slated to be streamed live on ESPN3.com.