INDIANAPOLIS (3/25/2023) -- Junior Cat Kopchia tallied a season-high three goals, but the University of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse team could not split the season series with Butler as the Bulldogs claimed an 11-9 victory in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Kopchia also added an assist to her fifth career hat trick and two ground balls with a caused turnover. Redshirt junior Charlotte Dale recorded two goals and two assists and sophomore Leah Bodnar tied her season-high with two goals, recorded a team-high three draw controls and posted a caused turnover. 

Sophomore Meredith Leavell made nine saves in net, and junior Kiah Nuessgen picked up a team-best three ground balls and had a caused turnover. 

Detroit Mercy (1-5) trailed 2-0 early, but off a caused turnover from Kopchia, Dale found senior Marina Butler and she scored to make it 2-1 with 7:52 left in the first. 

Butler (3-4) scored again to make it 3-1, but the Titans responded with three straight to jump out in front. Freshman Ysa Pakowski won a draw control and that set up Dale's first of the game at the 6:11 mark in the first quarter. In the second, a save by Leavell turned into offense as sophomore Maddy Camm's shot was stopped, but Dale scooped up the ground ball and found senior Annie Gilbert, who knotted it at 3-3 with 12:52 left in the period. Later on, freshman Alyssa Jarvis came up with a caused turnover and Kopchia finished that off with a score for a 4-3 lead with 8:08 to go.

Butler tied it at 4-4, but Dale was able to find the back of the net one more time off an assist from Butler, and the Titans led 5-4 at the break.

The Titans had their largest lead of two, 7-5, in the third as Bodnar scored on the women-up with 11:07 on the clock and again on the extra attacker with just over two minutes to play in the period. 

The Bulldogs would come back to tie it at 7-7 after three, but the red, white and blue took advantage of another Butler yellow card and Kopchia fired one past the goalie for an 8-7 advantage with 10:43 remaining. 

Unfortunately, Butler went on a 4-0 run to take the lead for good, but a save from Leavell got the Titans going the other way, and Kopchia registered her hat trick with 1:20 left in the contest. 

The Titans outshot the Bulldogs, 25-23, and forced 23 turnovers on the day. Detroit Mercy was also 20-of-24 in clears.

The red, white and blue will now get ready to open conference play as the Titans head to Central Michigan on Wednesday, with game time scheduled for 6:00 p.m. 

Game Notes:

• Detroit Mercy is 3-4 all-time against the Bulldogs and 1-3 on the road
• The Titans are 4-121 all-time against current members of the BIG EAST, with a win at Xavier on the road this season
• Kopchia's last hat trick was last year at Central Michigan, while her career high in goals is four, accomplished on three different occasions
• Butler has now notched a goal in 17 of her last 27 games
• Gilbert has now scored a goal in 14 of her last 20 games
• Bodnar tied her career high for the fourth time with two goals as she had against Lindenwood and in the first meeting with Butler and versus Youngstown State last season
• Dale also had two goals against Lindenwood

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