Men's Lacrosse 05.01.25

Men's Lacrosse Set To Battle Robert Morris For NEC Crown On Saturday

Men's Lacrosse 05.01.25

Men's Lacrosse Set To Battle Robert Morris For NEC Crown On Saturday

Freshman Zach Gleason and the Titans will look to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

DETROIT (5/2/2025) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team will look to completely flip the script on the season with one more win as the Titans take on second-seeded Robert Morris for the NEC Championship on Saturday.

Game time is set for Noon at Ted Grant Field on the campus of Le Moyne in Syracuse, N.Y., and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the NEC FrontRow app.

The fourth-seeded Titans - once 1-6 on the season and 0-3 in conference play - upset top-seeded Le Moyne, 6-3, in the semifinals to move to 6-6 on the year. The win was the fifth in a row to tie a school record as the red, white and blue are in its first conference championship game since the 2018 MAAC championship.

Senior Ryan Richters was a big reason why UDM is in this position, as he made 14 saves and allowed a career-low three goals, blanking the Dolphins in the final 37 minutes of action. Junior Kyle Grant led a dominating defensive effort with three caused turnovers and six ground balls, while junior Sean Henige and freshman Ian Greenwell combined for three takeaways and three GB's.

Offensively, freshman Andrew Parker netted two goals, while senior Aidan Bishop had a goal and two assists.

Robert Morris comes into the game at 10-5 overall and won a share of the NEC regular season with a 6-1 record. The Colonials had a come-from-behind win of their own over LIU in the semifinals, tying the contest at 11-11 with time expiring and then winning the game just 12 seconds into overtime.

The Titans are looking to win their second conference title and their second-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. In 2013, UDM won the MAC and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, playing Notre Dame in the first round.

ALL-TIME SERIES

The Titans and Robert Morris first met in UDM's inaugural 2009 season, an 18-8 loss, as Detroit Mercy is 2-10 all-time in the series.
The match-up has featured a couple of overtime games, with UDM falling 13-12 at RMU in 2024, a 14-13 setback at home in 2011, and an 11-10 home victory in 2015.
Three other games have also been decided by four goals or less.
This will be the first meeting on a neutral field.

All-Time Series
Mar.1, 2009 @ Moon Township, PA - L, 18-8
Mar. 13, 2010 @ Moon Township, PA - L, 16-5
Mar. 13, 2011 @ Detroit, MI - L, 14-13 (ot)
Feb. 23, 2013 @ Moon Township, PA - L, 9-5
Feb. 23, 2014 @ Moon Township, PA - L, 11-7
Feb. 21, 2015 @ Pontiac, MI - W, 11-10 (ot)
Feb. 25, 2017 @ Moon Township, PA - L, 15-6
Mar. 4, 2020 @ Detroit, MI - L, 16-13
Apr. 2, 2022 @ Birmingham, MI - L, 12-5
Mar. 29, 2023 @ Detroit, MI - W, 14-8
Mar. 20, 2024 @ Moon Township, PA - L, 13-12 (ot)
Mar. 15, 2025 @ Detroit, MI - L, 19-4

SEASON #17 FOR TITAN LAX

The first-ever game for the Titans was on Feb. 7, 2009, when the red, white and blue fell at Ohio State, 21-1. Scott Harris netted the first goal in school history.
In the first 16 years, Detroit Mercy won the 2013 MAAC Championship and advanced to the championship game in 2011 and 2018 before moving to the Atlantic Sun in 2022 and now the Northeast Conference in 2025.
The red, white, and blue posted their first winning season in 2016 at 8-6, broke that pace at 9-7 in 2018, and had another winning mark at 8-7 in 2019.
While in the MAAC for 12 years, they qualified for the postseason nine times - missing only 2010, 2016 and the canceled pandemic season of 2020.

HOT HOT HOT

The Titans have won five in a row, tied for their second-longest winning streak in school history with the five straight in 2018, with that last win in the MAAC semifinals before falling in the title game in overtime to Canisius, the senior year for head coach Charlie Hayes '18.
The winning streak started when the Titans were down 9-4 at VMI with 11:20 left after freshman Ian Greenwell came up with a caused turnover and, in transition, found freshman Marcus Thundercloud for a goal that started a 6-0 run to win the game in overtime. Mahabir tied the game at 9-9 with a minute left, and in overtime, a caused turnover by junior Kyle Grant gave Detroit Mercy the ball back, and Thundercloud found his way to the front of the cage with a dive and fired in the game-winner.

WHOSE HOME?

Detroit Mercy is 4-12 all-time on a neutral field and 3-6 in the postseason on neutral turf.
The Titans won their only conference championship on a neutral field in upstate New York, taking the MAAC title in 2013 at Canisius, just about two hours away.

POSTSEASON HISTORY

The Titans ended a three-game postseason losing streak by beating Le Moyne in the semifinals, their first postseason action since 2021.
The Titans are now 5-9 all-time in the postseason, winning the MAAC title in 2013 to make their only NCAA Tournament, and advancing to the MAAC championship game in 2011 and 2018.
Two of their postseason wins have been huge comebacks as the Titans erased a 9-5 deficit in the fourth to beat Monmouth in the 2018 MAAC semifinals, 12-9. In the title game against Siena in 2013, Detroit Mercy was down 9-3 in the third before rallying to win the championship in overtime, 11-10, where they advanced to its lone NCAA Tournament and fell to second-seeded Notre Dame, 9-7.

THE STORY OF THE 4

Detroit Mercy has been the fourth seed twice in the postseason.
In 2013, UDM upset top-seeded Marist on the road, 7-6, and then defeated Siena in overtime, 11-10, to win the MAAC, while in 2017, the Titans fell to top-seeded Monmouth on a neutral field, 11-7.
In NEC history, the #4 seed is now 5-10 all-time after UDM's win, with the only champion Robert Morris in 2019 as the Colonials knocked off #1 Mount St. Mary's, 13-12, in overtime in the semifinals and #2 Hobart, 11-10, in the title game.

NO IT'S MINE

Detroit Mercy enters the contest leading the NEC and 14th in the nation with 9.50 caused turnovers per game.
The Titans have seven games on the year with double-digit takeaways after recording 10 versus Le Moyne, with their season-high 15 against Wagner.
Detroit Mercy has a history of taking the ball away as they have ranked in the top 10 in the nation in caused turnovers six times, including leading the nation with 11.63 in 2011 and 10.47 in 2012.

WHAT'S THAT NOISE

Redshirt freshman Marcus Thundercloud - the NEC Rookie of the Year - was uncharacteristically held scoreless in the semifinals, just the second time in his nine games that has happened and the first since the season opener at Ohio State.
He ended the regular season tallying a season-high five points on four goals and an assist at Cleveland State.
Before that, he scored four goals against Mercyhurst for his third rookie honor.
He posted three goals and an assist at VMI - with the game-winner in overtime - and four goals against Le Moyne.
He is second on the team with 21 goals and 23 points - playing in only nine games as he missed some time with a broken hand - and ranks fifth in the NEC with 2.33 goals per game. He has notched 19 of his 21 goals in conference action, leading his peers at 3.17 per game.
Thundercloud missed last year with a knee injury.

I WANT THE BALL

Junior Kyle Grant showed why he was First Team on defense after coming away with three caused turnovers and six ground balls against Le Moyne.
Grant played in all 13 games last season and tallied five caused turnovers and 19 GBs, but has 24 takeaways - tied for eighth in school history - and 40 ground balls this season.
He has posted a caused turnover in nine games on the season and multi-caused turnovers in seven outings.
He is currently leading the NEC and 10th in the nation at 2.00 caused turnovers per game and eighth in the NEC and 83rd in DI with 3.33 GB's per game.
Grant started the year tallying a career-high six caused turnovers and seven GB's in the season opener at Ohio State.
The six caused turnovers are tied for second in school history, behind the seven Jamie Hebden had against VMI in 2013.
The last Titan to have six caused turnovers in a game was current head coach Charlie Hayes, who had six against Bellarmine in 2018.
He was named a Prime Time performer by the NEC and was also named to the USILA Lacrosse Team of the Week for that effort at OSU.
Grant scored his first goal on his first collegiate shot against Mercyhurst, while the week before, he had three caused turnovers and three ground balls against Wagner. He led a tough Titan defense in the 10-9 overtime win at VMI, ending with four caused turnovers and five ground balls. Three of those takeaways were in the second half.

CHASING YOU DOWN

Senior Chase Mahabir - All-NEC First Team at midfield - posted a goal in the win over Le Moyne.
He has five hat tricks on the season as he leads the team with 24 goals, 12 assists, and 26 points. He is 10th in the NEC with 2.00 goals per game and eighth at 3.00 points per game.
In league play, his 20 goals and 2.86 goals were tied for the most, while his 29 points and 4.14 points per game were third.
Mahabir ended the regular season by winning his third straight NEC POW after posting a career-high eight points on four goals and a career-best four assists in the postseason-clinching win at Cleveland State. The eight points are tied for the third most in school history and the most by a Titan since 2019.
The week before, he tallied five goals - including the game-winner with 47 seconds left against Mercyhurst. His five-goal outburst also saw him tally the last three goals of the game, one with the man down.
Against Wagner, he scored a career-high six goals - tied for the second most in school history - with an assist.
At VMI, he scored a goal - which tied the game at 9-9 with a minute left - and added two helpers. Mahabir also had three goals and an assist at Hampton and at LIU.

GUARDING THE NET

Senior Ryan Richters is coming off two of the best games in his career, allowing just seven goals and making 33 saves on the road.
In the semifinal victory over Le Moyne, he registered 14 saves and allowed a career-low three goals - the least amount of goals a Titan has ever allowed in the postseason - including shutting out the Dolphins for the final 37 minutes.
The week before, he finished with 19 saves and just four goals in the postseason-clinching win at Cleveland State.
He is second in the NEC and ninth in the nation with 13.08 saves per game and fourth in the league and 25th in DI with a .553 save percentage.
Richters stands fourth in school history with 344 saves and has recorded double-digit stops in 22 of his 25 games.
He was stellar in helping the Titans post their first NEC victory with 13 saves at VMI, which included eight saves in the second half, a key one in overtime and allowing just two goals in the final 39 minutes of play.
Richters had a career-high 21 saves at LIU, tied for the fourth most in school history, and 13 saves versus Robert Morris.
He started the season stopping 16 shots with three ground balls and a caused turnover at Ohio State. He had 13 saves, three GBs, and a takeaway at Marquette, and 13 saves with a career-high three caused turnovers at Bellarmine.
Last season, he posted 187 total saves, tied for 17th in the country, and was second in the school record book, just 15 shy of the single-season mark.
His 14.38 saves per game led the Atlantic Sun and was third in Division I.
Prior to his arrival in the Motor City, he played for Team Latvia at the 2023 World Lacrosse Championships and was nominated to the All-World Team.

SHORT STICK BIG DEFENSE

Junior Jackson Ewald's stat sheet might seem light, but the short-stick midfielder is one of the best in the business and was named Second Team All-NEC as a SSDM.
Learning from the best short-stick defensive midfielder in school history in head coach Charlie Hayes, Ewald has four caused turnovers and 13 ground balls on the season.
He has two ground balls in three games this season and always draws the tough assignment on the defensive side.

MR. MARSHALL TO YOU

Senior Will Marshall has been a vital component of the offense and defense and had two caused turnovers and three ground balls in the win at Cleveland State.
He had a good start to the season, with a takeaway and three ground balls at Ohio State, added two more CT's and a GB at Marquette, and a caused turnover and career-high four GB's at Bellarmine.
He scored his first goal of the season at VMI and registered a caused turnover and two ground balls versus Wagner.
Last year, Marshall had two caused turnovers and three ground balls at #16/14 Rutgers, recorded a goal, caused turnover and ground ball at Utah, and posted a career-high three caused turnovers with three GB's and a goal against Queens
He has played in 47 career games and has five goals, 18 caused turnovers and 49 ground balls.

KING ME

Senior Aidan Bishop has scored a goal in five straight games and has two goals in three of the last four outings.
He picked up a goal and two assists in the win over Le Moyne, giving him at least two points in five straight games.
Bishop netted a pair of markers with an assist in the win at Cleveland State. He scored two goals against Mercyhurst and recorded three points on two goals and an assist against Wagner.
He is third on the team with 13 goals and 21 points and fourth with six assists.
Bishop was the leading returning scorer after recording a career-high 26 points, with a career-best 21 goals.
In his career, he has 52 goals, 19 assists, 71 GB's, and 12 caused turnovers.

OUR GREEN WALL

Freshman Ian Greenwell has started 11 of the 12 games as a rookie and recorded a ground ball in 11 and a caused turnover in nine of them after coming up with two caused turnovers and a ground ball against Le Moyne.
At Cleveland State, he helped the defense with a caused turnover and four ground balls.
He had his best game with three caused turnovers and six ground balls in the come-from-behind win at VMI and came back with two takeaways and four GB's against Wagner.
In his collegiate debut at Ohio State, he had three ground balls.
Greenwell is now second on the team with 14 caused turnovers and fourth with 30 ground balls and ranks eighth in the NEC with 1.17 caused turnovers and 12th with 2.50 ground balls per game.

HAVE YOURSELF A DAY

Freshman Canton Lanham started the season just 10-of-35 in faceoffs but then won 12-of-18 at Hampton and has now claimed 92-of-163 (56.4%) in the last nine games.
He won a season-best 19-of-27 with a season-high 11 ground balls against Mercyhurst - the most wins and GB's by a freshman in school history and tied for the sixth most victories in the record book, while the 11 ground balls are tied for the third most by a Titan.
He was 15-of-24 with five ground balls in the win over Wagner, securing 10-of-15 in the second half and 5-of-6 in the final period.
At LIU, he was 12-of-20 with five ground balls and registered a 12-of-20 record and five GB's at VMI.
Lanham is fourth in the NEC winning 51.5%, and 10th at 3.17 GB's per game.

PARKING IT HERE

Freshman Andrew Parker did not play in the season opener at Ohio State, but on his first-ever shot at Marquette, he beat the keeper for his first collegiate goal.
Parker helped the Titans reach the title game after scoring a team-high two goals in the win over Le Moyne.
He has now scored a goal in eight of his 11 games and is fourth on the team with 18 points and 12 goals and fourth with six assists to go with 17 ground balls.
Parker tallied a season-high five points on two goals and three assists at Cleveland State.
He tallied his first career hat trick with three goals and an assist versus Wagner.
Parker had a goal and two ground balls against Robert Morris and another marker against Le Moyne and at VMI.

THICK SKIN

Senior Harold Skinner moved into the starting line-up early in the season and has showcased his talent on both the offensive and defensive end.
He had an assist and two ground balls in the semifinal win over Le Moyne, and that was after a career-high three caused turnovers and six ground balls in the postseason-clinching win at Cleveland State.
He had a goal against Robert Morris, a career-high four points on two goals and two assists at LIU, and found the back of the net once at VMI. Against Wagner, he recorded a pair of assists and a takeaway and had a goal and an assist versus Mercyhurst.
Skinner has battled some injuries, limiting him to 26 games, but is having his best season with seven goals, seven assists, 14 points, six caused turnovers and 16 ground balls.

THAT'S RIGHT I SAID OWEN

Senior Eoghan Mullett - pronounced Owen - has six games on the season with a caused turnover and seven picking up a ground ball.
He tied his season high with two caused turnovers against Mercyhurst. Mullett tallied two takeaways and two ground balls at LIU, collected three ground balls against Robert Morris, and posted a caused turnover at Bellarmine.

I WILL TAKE A HENIGE

Senior Sean Henige was another strong defender in the victory over Le Moyne, finishing with a caused turnover and two ground balls.
He posted two caused turnovers and two ground balls against Mercyhurst. The week before, he had a takeaway and two ground balls against Wagner.
Henige scooped up a season-high five GB's at LIU and had a caused turnover and ground ball at VMI.
Last season, he appeared in all 13 games with 12 starts last year, leading the team with 16 caused turnovers and finishing fourth with 26 ground balls.
In his three years, he has started 35 of the team's 37 games and has 34 caused turnovers and 64 ground balls.

ZACH ATTACK

Freshman Zach Gleason had a fine collegiate debut, finding the back of the net twice at Ohio State.
He had a team-high five shots, with four on net, all in front of friends and family, as he was an All-American as a senior at Loveland in Ohio.
He had another multi-goal effort with a pair of markers at Hampton and was back in the scoring column with a goal against Wagner.
In the win over Mercyhurst, Gleason registered a goal and an assist, and he got the Titans on the board with Le Moyne on a rocket after splitting a double team.

SHOW ME SOME LOVE

Senior Billy Hart is fourth in school history with 202 faceoff wins and ninth at winning 41.4%.
Last season, he led the team with a career-best 44 ground balls and 77 faceoff wins, as his 3.67 ground balls per game was good for sixth in the Atlantic Sun.
Hart ended last season with one of the best days in school history, going a career-best 17-of-24, tied for the 10th most wins, with a career-high nine ground balls against Cleveland State.

WE NEED MOORE

Sophomore Gavin Moore is another talented short-stick defensive midfielder.
He played a strong game and picked up a career-high three ground balls in the triumph over Le Moyne.
Moore tallied a career-high three caused turnovers and scored his first collegiate goal against Wagner.
He scored another goal with two GBs at Cleveland State.
Moore finished with two CT's against Le Moyne and one at LIU and at VMI.

NOLAN'S OUR MAN

Senior Nolan Graalman had one of the goals in the Titans' 5-0 run to upset top-seeded Le Moyne in the NEC semifinals.
The week before, he got the start at Cleveland State and ended with a goal, an assist, two caused turnovers, and two ground balls.
He got into the scoring column with a goal and an assist at Bellarmine and added another at LIU and at VMI.
In his career, he has played in 43 games and has 34 goals and 39 points, with 15 goals and 16 points as a sophomore.