BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (4/9/2022) -- Graduate senior
Brett Erskine tallied three goals, but it wasn't enough as the University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team dropped a 13-4 contest to the Air Force Academy on Saturday.
It was the ninth hat trick for Erskine in his career as he now has 87 career markers to go with 130 points. He also picked up three ground balls and caused a turnover.
Junior
Ivan Progar scored a goal and junior
Luke Majick handed out a pair of assists, while graduate senior
Paul Manuszak posted three caused turnovers and registered a team-high four ground balls to go over 200 in his career.
Freshman
Evan DeVito had a caused turnover and three ground balls and redshirt freshman
Jakob Hemme made 17 saves in net.
Detroit Mercy (1-7, 0-2 ASUN) and Air Force (6-5, 1-1 ASUN) played a scoreless first quarter as Hemme came away with five saves and Manuszak had one of his three caused turnovers.
Hemme made two more saves early in the second before Air Force got on the board at the 11:50 mark. Detroit Mercy would tie it at 1-1 at 7:17 as Erskine fired in his first off a pass from Majick, but Air Force took a 5-1 lead at the break.
In the third, Progar's shot was saved, but Erskine was there to pick up the ground ball and he put one past the goalie again to make it 5-2 just three minutes in. Progar would net the Titans' third goal later in the quarter as he beat the keeper for his first of the season with 4:39 left.
In the fourth, the Titans took advantage of an Air Force penalty as Majick set up Erskine and he ripped one in with 12:39 left in the contest.
Detroit Mercy was 18-of-19 on clears in the contest and just lost the battle of ground balls, 41-34.
Freshman
Billy Hart was 4-of-11 at faceoffs with three ground balls, while sophomore
Will Edell along with freshman
Aidan Bishop each had three GB's apiece.
The red, white and blue will be back in action next week as the Titans visit Bellarmine on Easter weekend in another Atlantic Sun showdown.
Game Notes:
- Air Force is 7-0 all-tie in the series and 3-0 on the road
- Detroit Mercy came into the game leading the ASUN and 30th in the nation with 31.7 ground balls per game, while placing first in the league and seventh in DI with 14.7 saves per contest
- Manuszak is now third in school history with 203 ground balls - 14 behind second-place - while his 55 caused turnovers are sixth in school history and four away from fifth place
- Manuszak also has multiple caused turnovers in five games with a season-best four at Ohio State
- Hemme has posted double-digit saves in six of the first seven games he has played and is leading the conference and 10th in the nation with 13.5 saves per game
- Erskine came into the game is eighth in the ASUN with 1.86 goals per game and 14th in the conference with 2.43 points per game
- Erskine's 130 career points are fourth in school history, 16 away from third place, while his 87 goals are second with the all-time leader Shayne Adams at 147
- Progar now has four career goals
