KENT, Ohio (3/26/2022) -- Senior Elise Harder scored three goals and the Titans went on a rally in the fourth, but the deficit was too much to overcome as the University of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse team fell, 16-11, at snowy Kent State on Saturday.

Harder also had five draw controls and a caused turnover. Sophomore Cat Kopchia had two goals and three assists and junior Annie Gilbert posted two goals. Senior Taylor Cantelon pulled down a game-high six draw controls with three ground balls, while sophomore Kaileigh Nuessgen tied her career-high with three GB's and two caused turnovers.

Detroit Mercy (1-8, 1-4 MAC) scored first on the free position shot from Harder, but Kent State (4-8, 1-4 MAC) responded with six-straight goals.

Junior Marina Butler ended that with a goal in the second and then Kopchia found freshman Maddy Camm and she beat the goalie to make it 8-3 midway through the period. Kopchia would then find redshirt sophomore Charlotte Dale for a score and it was 9-4 late in the second.

Harder and sophomore Sarah Meek netted goals in the third to trim the deficit to 12-6 and then the Titans ended the game on a 5-0 run. Kopchia started the spurt with back-to-back goals before Gilbert beat the goalie off a free position to make it 16-9 with nine minutes left. Gilbert then tallied back-to-back goals to bring the team within five. 

The Titans won the ground ball battle, 18-15, and nearly had as many draw controls, 16-15. Detroit Mercy also had seven caused turnovers. 

The red, white and blue will return home next week in a Titan lacrosse doubleheader with the men facing Robert Morris at 11:00 a.m. and the women taking on the Colonials at 2:00 p.m. with both games at Seaholm High School in Birmingham. 

Game Notes:

• The Titans are 1-3 all-time against Kent State, defeating the Golden Flashes at home, 16-12, in 2019, and dropping both games last season 17-12 at home and 20-11 on the road
• Kopchia came into the game third in the MAC and 71st in the nation with 1.38 assists per game, while her 3.00 points per game were fifth in the league and 141st in DI
• Harder's 127 draw controls are seventh in school history and one away from Emma Mucci and sixth place
• Cantelon's 123 career draw controls are eighth in school history
• Nuessgen also had three ground balls against Youngstown State last year
• Harder has now scored a goal in eight-straight games