DETROIT (4/21/2024) -- The Titans used a dominant third quarter and some stifling defense to stamp their ticket to the postseason as the University of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse team was the golden one today in a 15-11 victory over Kent State.

Detroit Mercy went on a 6-0 charge in the second half to secure the win and clinch a spot in the MAC Championship for the first time in school history. UDM can get as high as a third seed after the completion of the regular season next week as the event will be held at top-seeded Central Michigan, May 2-4. 

After the game, the Titans honored their 12-member senior class, which has persevered through a pandemic and a coaching change to reach the playoffs in Ella Brandt, Marina Butler, Charlotte Dale, Emma Donahue, Julia Fortino, Lena Kinczel, Cat Kopchia, Kristine Kropp, Sarah Meek, Kiah Nuessgen, Abby Schillinger, and Cecelia Vergara.

Kopchia ended the game with four goals and an assist, while junior Leah Bodnar and sophomore Libby Cuckler each had three goals and a helper, a career-high in goals and a career-tying four points for Cuckler. Junior Maddy Camm recorded a career-tying three goals, a team-high six draw controls, three ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers and junior Meredith Leavell made eight saves and picked up two ground balls.

The Titans (4-11, 3-3 MAC) saw Kent State (5-11, 2-3 MAC) score first, but they came back with four straight. Camm got the offense going, winning a draw control and then taking a pass from sophomore Alyssa Jarvis and beating the keeper. She won the next draw and that got the ball in the crosse of Kopchia, who fired one in for a 2-1 lead. Kopchia then set up Cuckler for her first marker and after two saves from Leavell, Cuckler found Camm and she found the back of the net for a 4-1 advantage with 4:37 left in the first.

Graduate senior Marina Butler, Camm and Kopchia all scored in the second, but it was a 7-7 game at the break. 

The red, white, and blue came out ready to go in the third quarter as Kopchia was fouled and scored on the free position to start a 6-0 charge. Brandt came up with a turnover and Bodnar followed with a score and then Nuessgen had a takeaway and Bodnar finished that position off with a goal as well for a 10-7 lead at the 3:52 mark. Camm won the next draw and then was fouled as she netted a free-position goal, and with 23 seconds left in the third, Bodnar had a tally for a 12-7 lead after three as UDM blanked KSU and scored on five of its 11 shots.

Detroit Mercy kept it going in the fourth as a save by Leavell set up another offensive possession and Cuckler posted her hat trick for a 13-7 advantage with 11:56 left.

UDM also had a six-goal lead at 14-8 as Kopchia netted one with 5:21 remaining and Schillinger took all thoughts of a comeback out of the Golden Flashes as Kinczel located her for her first career assist and she tickled the twine for a 15-10 margin with 2:11 on the clock.

Vergara ended with a career-high five draw controls. Junior Katie Bilello had three GB's with a caused turnover and Nuessgeen posted two caused turnovers and a ground ball. 

The Titans won the battle of ground balls, 19-17, were 16-of-17 on clears and saw the Golden Flashes turn it over 17 times, registering nine caused turnovers. UDM was 3-of-3 on the free position and held Kent State to 0-of-2. 

Detroit Mercy will have one more game left in the regular season before heading to the postseason as the Titans visit Butler on Saturday.

Game Notes:

• Kent State leads the all-time series, 5-2, but UDM ended a five-game slide and is now 2-4 at home in the match-up 
• The loss eliminated Kent State from the playoffs as the field is set with Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Robert Morris
• Detroit Mercy has posted 118 caused turnovers on the year, now 10th most in school history for a single season
• UDM had a season-high 10 at Duquesne, at Pittsburgh, against Marquette, at Canisius, at Lindenwood, and against Kennesaw State
• Camm registered three goals for the third time in her career as she had three against Kennessaw State and at CMU this season
• Camm now has a caused turnover in every game this season, including seven straight and 11 games with two or more as she came into the contest leading the MAC and 18th in the nation with 2.00 per game
• Camm now has 30 caused turnovers on the year, tied for fifth in school history and three away from fourth
• Camm moved into eighth place in Titan history with 53 caused turnovers
• Kopchia now has 12 hat tricks on the season and 20 in her career
• Kopchia is now seventh in school history with 143 points on 110 goals and 33 assists, tied for sixth in school history in goals and tied for eighth in assists. 
• Kopchia's 49 goals are now ninth in school history for a single season
• Bodnar has picked up the offense as the season has gone on, tallying a hat trick in five of the last seven and six of the last nine games as she now has nine in her career
• Leavell is third in the MAC and 14th in DI with 139 saves, third in the league and 17th in the nation with 9.2 saves per game, third in the league and 50th in the country with a .433 save percentage and third in the MAC with a 13.6 goals against average
• Leavell is currently fourth in school history with 340 saves - six away from third - fifth with 8.50 saves per game, third at a .428 save percentage and fourth with a 14.03 goals-against average
• Cuckler tallied a career-high four points on two goals and two assists against Kennesaw State
• Cuckler now has 21 points on 11 goals and 10 helpers after accumulating just two goals and three points in 11 games last season
• Butler has scored a goal in nine games this season
• Butler now has 96 points on 50 goals and 46 assists - fourth in school history - along with 45 ground balls, 25 caused turnovers and nine draw controls
• Schillinger now has six goals and seven points on the year after coming into the year with just two goals and two assists
• Vergara's career high in draw controls was just two on four occasions and she came into the game with just four on the year

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