AKRON, Ohio (4/13/2021) -- Annie Gilbert scored the game-winning goal 1:29 into double overtime on Tuesday, lifting the University of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse team to a 15-14 road victory over host Akron from InfoCision Stadium. It was the first victory of the season for the Titans (1-2, 1-2 MAC), which were playing in their first game in exactly one month, since March 13.
Gilbert received a pass from senior
Kamryn Corraro midway through the second overtime and fired a shot past the Akron goalkeeper to end the contest. The two teams had played through the first 6-minute overtime without either team scoring. The Titans forced an Akron turnover early in the second overtime, which led to a break and shortly thereafter, Gilbert's game-winner.
It was a career day for Gilbert, who scored two goals and assisted on a team-best four goals for six points in the contest. Three Titans had four points with junior
Elise Harder scoring a team-high and career-high-tying four goals and junior
Taryn McManus tallying two goals and two assists offensively. Titan sophomore
Marina Butler also had a career day with her first career hat trick with three goals and Corraro posted one goal and two assists for the red, white and blue. Sophomore
Charlotte Dale and senior
Kristina Ellis each added goals.
The Titans got off to a great start in Tuesday's contest behind both their offense and defense. Titan sophomore goalkeeper
Hannah Shrader made five saves in net in the opening five minutes of the contest and Detroit Mercy turned the saves into offense, leading 3-1 after the opening 12 minutes of play. Harder scored the first Titan goal off an assist from Gilbert and then Gilbert found Corraro with a nice pass for another goal as the Titans led 2-1.
After a McManus free-position goal had the Titans ahead 3-1, Akron scored twice to tied the game, 3-3. The Titans then went on a 4-0 run with four different players scoring during the stretch. Butler, Gilbert and Harder all scored before Titan freshman
Cat Kopchia scored on a breakaway for her first collegiate goal to give Detroit Mercy a 7-3 advantage with 7:12 left in the first half.
Harder completed her hat trick before the halftime break and Butler added her second goal, but Akron closed the gap as the Titans led 9-8 at the break.
Both teams were strong defensively in the start of the second half, with Titan senior GK
Maddie Johnson making several saves early in the frame, until Akron finally scored to tie the game up, 9-9, with 22 minutes remaining. McManus followed with her second goal of the game just 35 seconds later to re-give Detroit Mercy the lead, 10-9. Butler then scored her third goal of the contest off an assist from McManus as Detroit Mercy held a two-goal edge, 11-9, midway through the second half.
The two teams traded goals for the majority of the second half with Detroit Mercy taking a 14-12 lead after senior
Kristina Ellis' goal with just 4:51 left in regulation. Akron would score two goals in the final two minutes of regulation to tie the game, 14-14, and push the game into overtime.
In the first overtime session, Johnson made a save early and then Harder had a free-position shot with 10 seconds left on the clock, but her shot was deflected wide of the net. It all set up for Gilbert's heroics in the second overtime for the Titans.
Akron held the shot advantage, 39-25, but Detroit Mercy was strong in net, making 20 saves total, with both Shrader and Johnson making 10 saves. The Zips held the advantage in the draw circle, 21-12, in the contest. Titan senior
Taylor Cantelon collected a season and career-high eight draw controls for the Titans, with McManus adding four DC for the red, white and blue.
McManus was credited with a career-best five caused turnovers, with Harder adding four caused turnovers. McManus also had a team-high five ground balls, while senior defender
Sarah Lucas added four GB.
Titan News & Notes
• It was the first game for the Titans in exactly one month since Detroit Mercy hosted Youngstown State in Detroit on March 13.
• It was also the first win for the Titans in overtime in school history (just fifth overtime game overall in 12-year history).
• Detroit Mercy also played in its first overtime contest since 2019, when the Titans fell 9-8 to American on March 13, 2019.
• Gilbert's six points were the most for a Titan since former teammate
Kaitlyn Wandelt had six points against Winthrop on March 4, 2020.
• Harder tied her career-high with four goals; Tuesday's hat trick was also her seventh career and second this season.
• The 20 saves from the Titans were the most by the squad since the program recorded 23 saves against Duquesne on March 19, 2010.
• It's believed to be the first time in Titan history that a pair of goalkeepers have both tallied 10 saves in one game.
• Gilbert's four assists were the most for a Detroit Mercy played since Lexie Kinmond had four helpers at Delaware State on April 7, 2019.
• The meeting with Akron was also the first between the two schools in women's lacrosse (Zips in their second season of competition).
Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the field this weekend, visiting Youngstown State on Saturday, April 17 for a 6 p.m. contest from Youngstown, Ohio. The game is slated to be streamed live on ESPN-Plus. The Titans are then home for three-straight, beginning with a Thursday, April 22 contest against Kent State.
