MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (3/19/2024) -- Sophomore
Drew Kessenich tallied a season-high six points and three Titans posted hat tricks, but the golden goal in overtime came off the crosse of Robert Morris as the University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team fell, 13-12, on the road on Wednesday.
Kessenich registered a career-high five assists - tied for the second most in school history - with a goal, a ground ball, and a caused turnover. Junior
Chase Mahabir posted a career-best four goals, and junior
Aidan Bishop and freshman
Sean Donahue each tied their career high with three goals apiece.
Junior
Ryan Richters made 17 saves in net, including six in the fourth quarter alone, and junior
Sean Henige had a caused turnover and three ground balls.
The Titans (0-6, 0-2 ASUN) were trailing, 11-9, midway through the third when graduate senior
Luke Majick found Donahue and he beat the netminder to pull the team within one with 5:16 left. A couple of minutes later, UDM tied the game as Mahabir was able to fire one in for his fourth marker of the contest.
Richters made three saves in the final four minutes of the period and the Titans also killed off a 30-second penalty. In the fourth, Detroit Mercy took advantage of a Robert Morris (2-5, 1-1 ASUN) flag as Kessenich fed Bishop and he put the red, white and blue ahead, 12-11, with 14:40 left.
Richters did his best to hold that up as he kept turning away the Colonials until they were able to knot it at 12-12 with 4:27 remaining. Both teams had a chance to win it in regulation, but could not score. The Titans received a penalty with 19 seconds left in the game and RMU carried the extra man into the overtime session, where it scored just nine seconds in.
Majick finished with a goal, two assists and a caused turnover. Senior
Noah Martin had a caused turnover and a ground ball and sophomore
Eoghan Mullett recorded a caused turnover.
The Titans were 22-of-26 on clears and saw RMU turn it over 17 times.
The game featured five ties as Donahue opened up the UDM scoring to make it 1-1 three minutes in. Martin would cause a turnover and on the offensive possession, Kessenich found Mahabir for his first at the 7:22 slot of the first.
Detroit Mercy jumped ahead 3-2 after a faceoff win by junior
Billy Hart led to a goal from Bishop. The Titans also led by two, 4-2, as Kessenich found Mahabir again, and he found the back of the net with 5:07 left.
UDM was down by a pair, 6-4, when Kessenich set up Bishop's second with 6:05 left in the half. The Titans would tie it at 7-7 as Majck scored, and off an RMU turnover, Kessenich found Donahue with just over two minutes to go, but the Colonials took an 8-7 lead at the break.
The Titans tied the game again in the third at 9-9, with Kessenich netting his marker early in the period and Mahabir ringing in his hat trick with 10:06 left.
Detroit Mercy will stay on the road as it heads to Utah on Saturday.
Game Notes:
- The Titans are 2-9 all-time against Robert Morris, including 0-6 on the road, as the series has now featured three overtime games as well as three other games decided by four goals or less
- Majick has scored a goal in all six games this season, seven in a row dating back to last year and 27 of his 36 career games as a Titan
- Majick is just four points shy of 10th in school history with 80 points and two shy of 10th in the record book with 49 goals
- Kessenich's career high in points is seven points on five goals and two assists against Lindenwood last season
- Kessenich's five assists were the most since Matthew Van Galen had five at Marist in 2019 and one shy of Van Galen's school-record six at Bellarmine, also in 2019
- The seven points were the most by a Titan since Majick had seven on four goals and three assists last year at Mercer
- Donahue notched his first career hat trick at Ohio State
- Bishop has started the season with at least two goals in five games
- Bishop also had three goals in the home win over Robert Morris last season
- Ryan Richters has tallied double-digit saves in all six games this year following the season-high 19 saves and six ground balls with a caused turnover against Mercer, 15 saves at Ohio State, 12 with five ground balls at #16/14 Rutgers, 13 versus VMI, and 11 at Marquette
- Henige had a career day with three caused turnovers and seven ground balls against VMI and tied his mark with three caused turnovers and two GB's at Ohio State.
- Mahabir just recorded his first career hat trick with three goals against Mercer and now has a goal in five straight games as he scored versus VMI, at #16/14 Rutgers and Ohio State.
- Henige now has eight caused turnovers and 15 GB's on the year
