ST. CHARLES, Mo. (3/10/2024) -- Senior Cat Kopchia tallied a career-high five goals, junior Maddy Camm had a career-best four points and the Titans kept on clawing away as the University of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse team was upended, 22-12, at Lindenwood on Sunday. 

The 12 goals were a season-high for Detroit Mercy. 

Kopchia also added an assist for a season-high six points, while Camm posted a career-best three assists with a goal, a career-tying five draw controls, two caused turnovers and a team-best three ground balls. Junior Leah Bodnar recorded her four career hat trick with four points on three goals and a helper and junior Meredith Leavell made 12 saves in net.

The Titans (0-7) and Lindenwood (7-1) went back and forth early on as UDM took a 2-0 lead four minutes in off goals from Kopchia. After the Lions jumped in front, 3-2, Camm tied it up with 4:37 left. The game was also tied at 4-4 as the Titans took advantage of an extra attacker and Kocphia found sophomore Alyssa Jarvis for the strike with 3:08 remaining.

The Lions went on a run until senior Ella Brandt stopped that as her caused turnover led to an offensive possession and she would end it with her second goal of the year to make it 14-5 at the break.

Detroit Mercy started the third with two goals, the first off another free-position marker from Kopchia. Later on, two saves by Leavell sparked a charge, and Bodnar rang in her first marker to cut the deficit in half, 14-7, at the 11:25 mark.

UDM would end the third with two goals as Kopchia beat the keeper again and off another Leavell save, Camm found Bodnar and she put one to the back of the net and it was 16-9 after three.

Camm was the playmaker again in the fourth as she set up graduate senior Marina Butler, who rocketed one past the goalie to pull the team within seven again, 17-10. Camm then located Bodnar and she netted her third for an 18-11 game with 8:46 remaining, while Kopchia was able to slither her way in and score just before time expired. 

Butler also had two caused turnovers. Graduate senior Kiah Nuessgen and junior Katie Bilello had a takeaway and senior Sarah Meek had two ground balls. 

The Titans were just outshot, 39-34, and lost the battle of ground balls, 22-16, but forced Lindenwood into 19 turnovers with 10 caused. The 34 shots and 25 on goal were both season highs for the red, white and blue. 

Detroit Mercy will now have a week off before opening MAC play at in-state rival Central Michigan next Sunday.

Game Notes:

• This was just the second career meeting between the two schools as the Lions took last year's contest, 15-9, in the Motor City
• The Titans were once members of the Atlantic Sun for five seasons from 2013-17, before Lindenwood moved up to Division I, and posted a 20-14 conference record with four straight trips to the ASUN Championship
• UDM has posted 63 caused turnovers through the first seven games, with a season-high of 10 at Duquesne, at Pittsburgh, against Marquette, at Canisius and today as it came into the game leading the MAC and 35th in the nation with 9.17 caused turnovers per game
• Bodnar's career high in goals was five, with an assist, last year against Kent State
• Kopchia now has five hat tricks on the season and 13 in her career
• Kopchia had a career-best 24 goals and 32 points last season in 12 games, but already has 22 goals and 25 points through seven games this year
• Kopchia now has 110 career points, four shy of 10th place in school history, on 83 goals and 30 assists, tied for ninth in school history with Emily Boissonneault '12 in assists
• Leavell has now posted double-digit saves 15 times in her career
• Leavell is currently fourth in school history with 279 saves and third with 8.72 saves per game 
• Butler now has 86 points on 45 goals and 41 assists - tied for fourth in school history
• Jarvis has now scored a goal in all seven games on the year
• Camm's previous high in points was three at Canisius earlier this season, while her previous high in assists was just one on a number of occasions
• Camm's other five draw control game was at Xavier last season
• Camm now has at least one caused turnover and two ground balls in every game this season and has 36 caused turnovers, 45 draw controls, 56 ground balls with 19 goals and 19 assists in her career

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