DETROIT (8/16/23) – The Detroit Mercy women's soccer team kicks off the 2023 season with a pair of home matches beginning with instate foe Central Michigan followed by Morehead State. The Titans and Chippewas will play the season opener on Thursday, Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. followed by the Eagles on Sunday, Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. The Morehead State match will be broadcast live from Titan Field on ESPN+.
 
The Team:
The 2023 season marks the 30th year of the women's soccer program.
Head Coach Steve Shelton is in his fifth season with the program.
 
Returning Firepower:
The Titans have 21 returners led by sophomore Abbey Lodato who led the team in points (9) and tied for the team lead in assists (5) while starting in all 17 games last season to earn Horizon League Freshman of the Year and All-Freshman team honors. Graduate Student Taylor Stanley also returns after tying for the team lead in assists (5) with Lodato while ranking second in points (7) while also starting in all 17 games.
 
Sophomore Sophia Blankenship is back who tied for the team lead in goals (3) with departed senior Julie Ann Piechocki while ranking fourth in points (6) followed by sophomore Soraya Puerto-Khalil who ranked fourth on the team in points (4) and second in goals (2).
 
Senior Erica Toupin (1 goal, 1 assist, 3 points), senior Gabby Ketola (1 goal), sophomore Megan Malek (1 goal) and senior Olivia Zulewski (1 goal) also return to round out the offensive production from the 2022 season.
 
Senior Tia Jokic is also back after a season ending injury in 2022. She was second in goals (2) and fifth in points (4) during the 2021 campaign.
 
Last Line of Defense:
The Titans return solid experience in goal with seniors Jazmine Scott and Marisa Silver. After Silver suffered a season-ending injury during the first game at FGCU in the 2022 season, Scott stepped in and started in 15 of 16 games posing a 6-9-1 record with 67 saves while ranking fifth in the Horizon League with three shutouts (HL stats only) in league play.
 
Home Grown Talent:
Detroit Mercy has 26 student-athletes from the state of Michigan
 
West Coast Flavor:
The Titans have two student-athletes in Grace Brutto and newcomer Samantha Ceballos from the state of California.
 
O' Canada:
Junior Danica Paesano, seniors Jazmine Scott and Tia Jokic are the only student-athletes from Canada.
 
Outside the Mitten:
Transfer Hailey Matthews and newcomer Elena Neceski, who are from North Carolina and Ohio respectively, round out the seven student-athletes from outside Michigan.
 
Newcomers:
Detroit Mercy has a diverse group of 12 newcomers in goalkeepers Eva Hill and Grace McCormick, forwards Sydney Osgood and Natalia Sobh, midfielders Samantha Ceballos, Elena Neceski, Rianna Shrewsberry and Natalie Vance, defenders Leila Lanier, Sophia Lock, Hailey Matthews and Chloe Wiggins, who will look to make an immediate impact.
 
Titans picked Ninth in 2023 #HLWSOC Preseason Poll:
The Detroit Mercy women's soccer team was picked to finish 9th in the 2023 Horizon League women's Soccer (#HLWSOC) Preseason Poll as announced by the league office and voted on by the league's 11 head coaches. The Titans received 40 points and moved up one spot from being picked 10th prior to the 2022 season.