COLUMBUS (3/14/2023) -- Freshman
Drew Kessenich posted his first career hat trick with three goals as the University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team was downed by #15 Ohio State, 19-6, on Tuesday night.
Kessenich attempted just six shots and also picked up a season-best three ground balls. Sophomore
Nolan Graalman added a goal and an assist and seniors
Ryan Birney and
Luke Majick each had a marker.
Sophomore
Jakob Hemme made 12 saves in net and junior
Noah Martin recorded a career-best five ground balls and a team-high two caused turnovers.
Ohio State (4-3) scored two early goals before Graalman fired a shot to the back of the net just over five minutes into the game. Kessenich would then score his first with 1:11 left in the second and he beat his defender and the goalie.
The Titans (0-4) then ran off three more to start the third, all on the man-up, as sophomore
Aidan Bishop found Birney and he zipped one between the pipes at the 8:34 mark. A minute later, Graalman fed Kessenich for the score and then Bishop located Majick and he was able to beat the goalie to make it 14-5 with 6:12 left in the third.
Kessenich would register his third goal with 12:07 left as he made a move to get by his defender and put one in.
Senior
David Beacom and redshirt freshman
Eoghan Mullett each had a caused turnover and three ground balls and junior
Kyle Loken had a caused turnover and two GB's.
The Titans were 17-of-19 on clears and just lost the battle of ground balls, 31-26.
Detroit Mercy will return to action on Saturday as the red, white and blue visit Mercer in its Atlantic Sun opener.
Game Notes:
- Ohio State leads the all-time series, 11-1, with the lone victory a 9-8 triumph at home in 2015.
- Detroit Mercy is now 2-16 all-time against current members of the Big Ten, with home wins over Michigan (2012) and Ohio State (2015)
- The Titans are 0-21 all-time against top-20 teams
- Kessenich is the first Titan freshman to have a hat trick in a game since redshirt freshman Kyle Waters had two in 2020 and the first true freshman since Cam Kostus and Max Payton in 2019
- Birney now has a team-high eight goals on the year and is the current Titan leader with 41 points and 35 goals
- Going back to last season, Hemme has posted double-digit saves in 12 of his 14 career games, with a career-high and school-tying 28 saves at Michigan last season and a season-high 16 against Marquette
- Martin's previous high in ground balls was three, all last season
