DETROIT (8/31/22) – The Detroit Mercy men's soccer team will host Chicago State for the home opener on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 4 p.m. The match will be broadcast live from Titan Field on ESPN+ with Steven MacDonald on the call.
 
The Team:
The 2022 season marks the 35th year of the men's soccer program
Head Coach Nick Deren is in his 13th season as head coach and 19th season overall with the program.
 
Kliewer Solid in Goal for Season Opener:
Redshirt sophomore Jonathan Kliewer posted a career-high 11 saves while facing 20 shots in Detroit Mercy's season opening 2-2 draw at Jacksonville.
 
Freshman Firsts:
The freshman tandem of Tim Allos and Casey McCarthy recorded their first career collegiate points as Allos scored his first career goal off an assist from McCarthy in the 81st minute giving Detroit Mercy a 2-1 lead in the season opener at Jacksonville (8/25).
 
Andres and Powder on the Board:
Senior Matthew Andres also connected on a header off a cross from junior Samory Powder to open scoring for the Titans just six minutes into the game at Jacksonville.
 
Titans picked fifth in 2022 #HLMSOC Preseason Poll:
The Detroit Mercy men's soccer team was picked to finish fifth in the 2022 Horizon League Men's Soccer (#HLMSOC) Preseason Poll as announced by the league office on Wednesday and voted on by the league's 10 head coaches. The Titans received 56 points.
 
Defending 2021 #HLMSOC regular season and tournament champion Oakland was picked to repeat with 93 points and six first place votes. Cleveland State was picked second with 90 points and two first place votes followed by Milwaukee in third with 81 points and a first-place vote. Wright State was slated fourth with 68 points and first place vote while the Titans rounded out the top-five.
 
Returning Firepower:
Detroit Mercy returns junior Samory Powder who ranked second on the team in goals (3) and third in points (6) while leading the team and ranking fourth in the league in total shots per game (3.07). Powder was selected as one of 24 players to enter the Residential Camp for the Trinidad & Tobago Men's Senior National Football Team Provisional Squad in March in preparation for the Confederation of North America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nation's League in June. The National Team played two international friendly matches against the national teams from Barbados and Guyana at Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain in Trinidad.
 
Graduate student Ryan Halloran, senior Matthew Andres, junior Rocco Galati and sophomore Stephen Kosto all return after each recorded a goal last season. Graduate student Brooks Bennett also recoded an assist.
 
Lost Firepower:
The Titans lost their top two offensive leaders from last season in All-League Second Team selections Demetri Pliakos, who led the team in points (12) and assists (6) while ranking second in goals (3), and Kyle Bandyk who led the team in goals (4) while ranking second in points (10) and assists (2). In addition, Daniel Iyok lead the team in assists (3).
 
Last Line of Defense:
The Titans return Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year and All-HL First Team selection Jonathan Kliewer. Kliewer, a Grand Rapids, Mich. native, started in 16 played leading the league in goals against average (0.91) while ranking second in shutouts (6) and save percentage (.800) and sixth in saves per game (4.00). After posting back-to-back clean sheets against Purdue Fort Wayne and Milwaukee making a total of five saves to help the Titans earn six points in league play, he was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week. Kliewer's other shutouts came against UIW, IUPUI, Robert Morris and in the regular season finale against Wright State which clinched a berth in the 2021 Horizon League Championships for the Titans as a No. 5 seed. He also posted a season-best eight saves in the 2-2 draw against arch-rival Oakland.
 
Home Grown Talent:
Detroit Mercy has 30 student-athletes from the state of Michigan with three others from New Jersey, Texas and Ohio.
 
International Flavor:
The Titans have two student-athletes from Canada and one from Norway.
 
Newcomers:
Detroit Mercy has a diverse group of 14 newcomers in goalkeepers Robby Spradlin III and Quinn Tews; forwards Zander Crooks, Tim Allos, Guershom Sylvain and Mardig Alajajian; midfielders Vincent Stockton, Clayton Lafayette and Andri Myftari; defenders Mateo Phillips, Kendell Howard, Casey McCarthy, Spencer Powe and John Nino who will look to make an immediate impact.
 
Season Rewind:
Detroit Mercy at Jacksonville – No Contest (8/28/22)
The road match between Detroit Mercy and Stetson was deemed a no contest due to rainy weather conditions. The Titans took a 1-0 lead early in the first half but thunderstorms and constant lightning in the area didn't allow for the game to be resumed.
 
Detroit Mercy 2 at Jacksonville 2 - (8/25/22)
The freshman tandem of Tim Allos and Casey McCarthy recorded their first career collegiate points as Allos scored his first career goal off an assist from McCarthy in the 81st minute giving Detroit Mercy a 2-1 lead. However, Jacksonville got a late equalizer in the 87th minute as the Titans and Dolphins played to a 2-2 draw in the season opener on Thursday night. Senior Matthew Andres also connected on a header off a cross from junior Samory Powder to open scoring for the Titans just six minutes into the game. Redshirt sophomore Jonathan Kliewer posted a career-high 11 saves while facing 20 shots.
 
Exhibition Rewind:
Detroit Mercy 0 vs Duquesne 0 - (8/17/22)
Redshirt sophomore Jonathan Kliewer posted six saves as the Detroit Mercy men's soccer team opened exhibition play with a scoreless draw against visiting Duquesne. Junior Samory Powder and senior Matthew Andres led the Titans recording three shots each. For the game, the Dukes held a 18-10 shots advantage while both teams had five corner kick chances.
 
Detroit Mercy 0 Northern Illinois 2 - (8/20/22)
Junior Samory Powder and graduate student Ryan Pierson each recorded two shots on goal followed by one each from junior Luke Winters and freshman Tim Allos as Detroit Mercy fell 2-0 to defending Mid-American Conference champion Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon at Titan Field to conclude exhibition play.
 
Redshirt sophomore Jonathan Kliewer made three saves while facing 22 shots and five on goal. For the game, the Titans had 11 shots with six on goal. Both teams played even for a majority of the first half before NIU got on the board in the 29th minute.
 
In the second half, Detroit Mercy battled looking for the equalizer but a handball inside the box caused a penalty kick to be awarded in the 85th minute which NIU converted to seal the 2-0 win.