AKRON (4/23/2022) -- Senior Elise Harder scored four goals, redshirt sophomore Charlotte Dale tallied three goals - with all three coming in a key 8-1 run - and graduate senior Maddie Johnson made 12 saves as the shorthanded Titans went on the road and swept the regular-season series with Akron, 14-8, on Saturday.

The win kept the red, white and blue alive for the final playoff spot as the Titans will host Kent State next weekend with the victor clinching the fourth seed in the MAC Championship.

Detroit Mercy (2-12, 2-7 MAC) defeated Akron (2-14, 1-8 MAC) earlier in the season using a 10-0 spurt to end the game for the 15-12 win, and today, the Titans trailed 4-3 late in the first, but outscored the Zips 8-1 over the next 26 minutes of play to take an 11-5 lead with 4:29 to go in the third.

Harder also had two assists, six draw controls, three ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers, while junior Marina Butler recorded a career-high five assists. Freshman Leah Bodnar had a goal and two assists and freshman Maddy Camm posted a pair of strikes.

Seniors Claire Conway and Taryn McManus each had two caused turnovers as McManus also had a goal, three draw controls and two ground balls and Conway registered three GB's. 

Akron led 4-3 when freshman Katie Bilello came up with a caused turnover and that led to Harder finding sophomore Cecelia Vergara for a goal to knot it at 4-4 with 22 seconds left in the first period. 

The Titans then took advantage of a yellow card and Butler found Dale for the score just a minute into the second. Butler would be the playmaker again as she set up Camm for a goal with just under 10 minutes to play in the period for a 6-4 advantage and Dale would find Harder for a goal with 1:51 left and it was a 7-5 lead at the break.

Another caused turnover by Bilello led to a free position goal for Dale with 12:45 to go on the third and off the ensuing draw control won by Vergara, Butler fed Dale and another score make it a 10-5 Titan lead.

The Titans would go up 11-5 with 4:39 left in the third as Bodnar was able to beat the goalie and with just 12 seconds left in the period, Bodnar found Harder and her goal gave Detroit Mercy a 12-6 advantage after three.

Johnson came up with a huge save on a free position after Akron scored two in a row and that led to Butler locating McManus for a goal and a 13-8 lead with 5:34 left. Johnson would make three more saves after that to keep the Zips at bay and sophomore Ella Brandt put the game away with a goal with under a minute left for the six-goal lead. 

Bilello ended with two caused turnovers and three ground balls and Johnson picked up three GB's.

The Titans outshot the Zips, 32-26, and won the battle of ground balls, 26-20. They were also a perfect 14-of-14 on clears. 

Detroit Mercy will host Kent State in the final regular-season game next Saturday, April 30, at 4:00 p.m., at Seaholm High School with a berth to the postseason on the line.  Read Full Article