DETROIT (4/29/2021) -- The run for a title and NCAA berth will start in upstate New York as the University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team heads to St. Bonaventure in the MAAC Championship quarterfinals on Friday.

Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and will also feature live stats. 

The Titans are the No. 3 seed in the event with St. Bonaventure No. 6, but the Bonnies will host the game due to the Titans' departure from the MAAC at the end of the season. The winner will face the winner of the No. 2 Monmouth-No. 7 Siena contest in the semifinals next Wednesday, May 5. 

Due to their last two games getting canceled with COVID-19 protocols in their opponent's program, the Titans have not played a game in 21 days having last played at Monmouth on April 9. 

The Titans are 4-7 all-time in the MAAC Championship, winning the title in 2013 and advancing to the championship game in 2011 and 2018. Detroit Mercy is 1-4 all-time as the No. 3 seed and has dropped four-straight as the No. 3 seed with its lone win its first-ever MAAC playoff game, 9-8, over Marist in 2011. 

Two of their postseason wins have been huge comebacks as the Titans erased a 9-5 deficit in the fourth to beat Monmouth in the 2018 semifinals, 12-9. In the title game against Siena in 2013, Detroit Mercy was down 9-3 in the third before coming back to win the championship, 11-10. 

Overall, teams seeded third in the MAAC Championships are 11-18 with two titles in Providence (2004) and Canisius (2012). 

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. ST. BONAVENTURE

• This is the third career meeting between the two schools with the Titans claiming victory in the first two, including 11-7 at home earlier this season. 
• In 2019, the Titans went on the road to upstate New York and downed the Bonnies, 16-8, while last year's game that was set to be played in the Motor City on March 14 was canceled. 

OFFENSIVE APPROACH

• Detroit Mercy has seen 16 players score a goal on the year, while 11 have handed out an assist.
• On the year, the Titans lead the MAAC in offense (10.00) and rank second in points per game (15.17) and assists (5.17).

DEFENSIVE SET

• The Titans are currently leading the MAAC and are seventh in the nation with 9.67 caused turnovers per game and are also second in the league and 21st in the NCAA with 33.17 ground balls per game.
• The 9.33 goals per game is 11th in DI and the opponent's clearing percentage of .803 in second in the conference and eighth in the country. 

MANUSZAK MAAC LSM OF THE YEAR, SIX TITANS EARN HONORS

• Senior Paul Manuszak repeated as the MAAC LSM of the Year and five other Titans earned All-MAAC status as the conference released its postseason awards.
• Graduate senior Alex Akins and senior Brett Erskine were named All-MAAC First Team at defense and attack, respectively, while graduate senior Sam McClain and sophomore Luke Majick were tabbed All-MAAC Second Team at defense and midfield. 
• In addition, freshman Will Edell was picked to the All-Rookie Team. 

THE BIG LOGAN

• Senior Logan Shamblin has posted three-straight games allowing less than 10 goals and is now 15th in the nation in GAA (9.33), 20th in save percentage (.556%) and 28th in saves per game (11.67).  
• He recently became the school's all-time wins leader with 21 after stopping 13 shots and giving up just nine goals in the victory over Siena and increased that total to 22 making 14 saves with just five goals in the road triumph at Canisius. 
• He also registered 14 saves in the victory over St. Bonaventure and 11 at Monmouth. 
• The netminder has already earned a major award in the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2019.
• He started all 15 games in net that season and recorded his second-straight winning season with eight wins, while finishing third in the MAAC with a career-best 11.47 saves per game, fifth in school history. His 172 saves was also a career-best and fifth in the record books, and he also tallied a .512 save percentage and an 11.93 goals against mark along with six caused turnovers and 32 ground balls, fifth on the squad. 
• In his career, he ranks fifth among active players in saves (453), seventh in minutes played (2,363:30), eighth in saves per game (11.05) and 28th in goals-against average (11.14). 
• He now has 27 games with double-digit saves and seven with 15 or more in his career, while the nine goals allowed at Monmouth was the 19th time in his career he has allowed less than 10 scores. 

NOTHING BUT JARZ

• Senior Alex Jarzembowski already has his name on top of the Titan record book in every faceoff category.
• He owns a career-winning percentage of .577, tallying 623 victories and is second in school history with 212 ground balls and 3.85 ground balls per game.
• He has taken 1,079 career faceoffs - fifth-most among active players in DI and the most in school history - and his 623 wins are the sixth-most among active players, while his faceoff winning percentage is 22nd, total ground balls is 19th and ground balls per game is 32nd.
• This season, he is third in the MAAC and 17th in the country winning .626 (82-of-131) with 28 ground balls and two goals. 
• He started slow at Canisius, but won 10 of the final 13 faceoffs to finish 12-of-20 with three GB's and a goal. 
• He was 15-of-28 in the opener at Marist, 15-of-21 against St. Bonaventure and at Manhattan, and 17-of-22 versus Siena, and has now won double-digit faceoffs in 37 career games, including 16 games with 15 or more faceoffs wins and five with 20 or more. He owns the top to single-game marks with a school record 27 wins at Bellarmine in 2019. 
• Last year, he was 91-of-151 (60.3%) and was tied for second on the team with 22 ground balls, while scoring three goals on the year on just eight shots.
• In 2019, Jarzembowski posted a school record with 213 wins and a 60.0% winning percentage, good for second in the MAAC and 18th in Division I. His 82 ground balls led the Titans and was second in the conference and 29th in Division I as well as third in school history.
• He also has 11 career markers on just 27 career shots. 

FEAR THE LONG HAIRED LSM

• Senior Paul Manuszak - the two-time MAAC LSM of the Year - had one of his best games with a career-best four caused turnovers and picking up seven ground balls in the win over St. Bonaventure. He added seven more ground balls and a caused turnover against Siena and seven GB's with three caused turnovers at Monmouth.  
• He has a team-high 11 caused turnovers and 32 ground balls to go with a goal and an assist. He is also currently third in the MAAC and 23rd in the nation with 1.83 caused turnovers per game and fourth in the league and 34th in the nation with 5.33 ground balls per game. 
• Manuszak now has 37 caused turnovers - ninth in school history - and 152 ground balls - seventh in the record book - in his career to go with 10 goals and 15 points. 
• He ranks 32nd in DI among active players with 3.62 ground balls per game and 35th with 152 GB's. 
• In 2019, he tallied career highs in every category with nine points, six goals, three assists, 17 caused turnovers and 72 ground balls. He was also second on the squad in caused turnovers and ground balls and was fifth in the conference and 45th in DI with 4.80 ground balls per game. 
• His 72 GB's and 4.80 per game were both fifth in school history.

ERSKINE TIES CAREER MARK, AGAIN

• Senior Brett Erskine - who was selected First Team All-MAAC - had a great game at Canisius tying his career-high with six points for the fourth time, while also tying his career-best scoring five goals.  
• He is coming off a game with two goals and an assist at Monmouth. He also had six points on three goals and three assists in the opener at Marist. 
• Erskine has scored a goal in every game this season and leads the team with 22 points, 15 goals and seven assists, ranking second in the MAAC in goals per game (2.50), third in points per game (3.67) and sixth in assists per game (1.17).  
• He is now fourth in school history with 107 points, fifth with 69 goals and seventh with 38 assists. 
• Erskine is also one of the most accurate shooters in school history at 42.9 %, including 71.0 % on shots on goal. 
• Last season, he led the team with 18 points and eight assists, while placing second with 10 goals, while in 2019, he was third on the team with 32 points and second with 22 goals and 10 assists.

BIRNEY 3.0

• Sophomore Ryan Birney has some big shoes to fill following the footsteps of his two older brothers who played for the Titans and were All-MAAC players in Mike and Sean as well as an older sister who played on the women's team and was All-League in Kylie, but so far, he is up to the challenge.
• Birney is currently fourth with nine points and tied for second with seven goals.
• He had a goal and an assist at Marist and tallied his second career hat trick with three goals against St. Bonaventure, while scoring two versus Siena and one with a helper at Canisius.  
• As a freshman, he tied for third on the team with nine points and eight goals, while adding five ground balls and a caused turnover.  

AKINS A FINALIST FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD

• Detroit Mercy graduate senior Alex Akins was named one of the final 10 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award®. 
• To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be classified as NCAA Division I seniors and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
• Akins is a three-time team captain and a four-year starter, who has been selected All-MAAC four times including First Team this season and in 2018. He is currently sixth in school history with 51 caused turnovers.
• Off the field, he is a five-year member of the Detroit Mercy Athletic Director's honor roll, a four-year member of the MAAC Academic honor roll, a three-time All-MAAC Academic Team honoree and was selected a USILA Scholar All-American last year. 
• The Senior CLASS Award recipient will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship® in May. 

LOKEN FOR TWO

• Sophomore Kyle Loken scored one goal as a rookie in five games last season, but his offense has come alive with a pair of markers at Manhattan and against Siena, including the last two goals in the 11-9 victory over the Saints. 
• He now has four goals and an assist on the season to go with four caused turnovers and 11 ground balls. 

WILL THE THRILL

• Freshman Will Edell has made an immediate impact early on in the season. 
• The two-time MAAC Rookie of the Week and a member of the MAAC All-Rookie Team, Edell posted two goals in each of the first two games and added another goal at Manhattan, a pair of assists versus Siena, a goal with two assists at Canisius and a marker and helper at Monmouth.  
• He is tied for second on the team with 12 points and seven goals, while standing fifth in the MAAC with three man-up goals.

SAM I AM DEFENSE

• Graduate senior Sam McClain - a two-time All-MAAC Second Team selection - has five caused turnovers and 10 GB's on the year. 
• Last year, he topped the team with eight caused turnovers, while in 2019, he had 14 caused turnovers - third on the team - and 30 ground balls - tied for fifth on the squad.

SHEP IN THE DI BOOKS

• Graduate senior Scott Shepard scored his first Titan and Division I goal and it came at a good time at Monmouth.
• With the Titans down 8-6, Shepard fired a goal from 20 yards out just as the clock was expiring to get the red, white and blue within one.
• Shepard was a four-year letter winner at attack at Albion College from 2017-20 and helped the program to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, a regular season and a conference tournament championship. He finished ninth in school history with 64 goals and added 25 assists for 89 points along with recording 31 ground balls and eight caused turnovers in 51 career games. 
• He had an outstanding senior season in 2020 until it was canceled due to the pandemic as he had 17 goals and 20 points in just six games, well on his way to cruising past his career highs of 22 goals and 32 points as a junior, and in his last game as a Briton, he posted a career-best six goals and tied his career-high with seven points at Hanover.