DETROIT (4/2/2022) -- Graduate senior
Brett Erskine moved into second place all-time in school history in goals scored as he notched two on the day, but Robert Morris was able to hold down the Titan offense as the University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team fell, 12-5, on Saturday afternoon.
With his two goals, Erskine now has 84 career markers as he moved past Alex Maini '14 on the goal-scoring list, and also picked up three ground balls in the contest.
Sophomore
Will Edell and freshmen
Aidan Bishop and
Nolan Graalman also scored on the day with Edell adding three GB's and Bishop and Graalman finishing with two apiece.
Graduate senior
Paul Manuszak had a team-high three caused turnovers and four ground balls as did freshman
Evan DeVito, while senior
Kelson Connors had three ground balls and sophomore
Noah Martin recorded three GB's and a caused turnover. Redshirt freshman
Jakob Hemme made 12 saves in net and came away with four ground balls as well.
Robert Morris (5-4, 1-0 ASUN) got on the board first at the 10-minute mark after Hemme made three early saves. He made another stop and Martin had a caused turnover and the Titans (1-6, 0-1 ASUN) would tie the game off an Erskine strike at the 5:35 mark.
RMU would score four in a row, but Edell stopped that spurt with a goal at 9:01 in the second although the Colonials led at the break, 7-2.
Another Colonials' run had the team down 9-2 when after a turnover and ground ball pick up by Manuszak, Bishop was able to beat the goalie to make it 9-3. The Titans netted two more goals in the fourth as Graalman found the back of the cage on the man-up with just under eight minutes left and then a save from Hemme led to Erskine scoring his second with 6:26 to go.
The Titans were outshot, 46-39, and just lost the battle of ground balls, 41-40. Detroit Mercy was 18-of-22 on clears.
The red, white and blue will be back in action next Saturday, April 9, when Air Force visits in another Atlantic Sun showdown.
Game Notes:
- The Titans are in their first season as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference after spending 12 seasons in the MAAC from 2010-2021, with their first year as an independent in 2009. Robert Morris is also in the first year in the league that will already see growth with Jacksonville, Mercer and Lindenwood joining the Titans, Colonials, Air Force, Bellarmine, Cleveland State and Utah next year.
- Detroit Mercy is 1-8 all-time against Robert Morris with the Colonials winning the last three games, and are 1-3 at home in the series
- Detroit Mercy came into the game third in the ASUN and is 33rd in the nation with 30.3 ground balls per game
- The 40 ground balls tied a season-high with the 40 the Titans had against VMI
- Erskine now has 127 career points for fourth in school history, 19 away from third place, while his 84 goals trail only the all-time leader Shayne Adams at 147
- Manuszak is third in school history with 199 ground balls - 18 behind second-place - and his 199 ground balls are also 22nd among active players
- Bishop has scored a goal in four-straight games
