DETROIT (8-19-26) – The Detroit Mercy men's soccer team kicks off the 2026 season at St. Thomas on Thursday, Aug. 20, at 2 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live from South Field on Midco Sports Plus for paid subscribers only.

A look at St. Thomas:
• St. Thomas is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
• Last season, the Tommies finished 7-5-5 overall and 1-3-2 in Summit League play.
• This is the first meeting between the UDM and St. Thomas.
 
The Team:
• The 2026 season marks the 39th year of the men's soccer program.
 
Follow the Leader:
• Head Coach Nate Kopunek begins his fourth season at the helm of the program.
 
Home Grown Talent:
• Detroit Mercy has 21 student-athletes from the state of Michigan.
 
Where You From?:
• The Titans also have six student-athletes from outside the state of Michigan.
• Ohio (3): Junior Colin Monroe, senior Ryan Sanborn, junior Noah Sandahl
• Indiana (1): Freshman Sawyer Beachy
• Minnesota (1): Junior Evan Peleska
• Washington (1): Sophomore Thero Mitchell III
 
International Flavor:
• The squad also has two international student-athletes.
• France (1): Tom Nkassa
• Colombia (1): Sebastian Sanchez
 
Smart Cookies - Men's Soccer Earns United Soccer Coaches College Team Academic Award with Top-25 GPA National Ranking
• The Detroit Mercy men's soccer team continues to demonstrate the program's commitment to academic and athletic success by earning the United Soccer Coaches College Team Academic Award for the 2025-26 academic year. The men's team posted an impressive 3.57 overall GPA to qualify for the 12th time, tying at No. 22 among Division I men's soccer programs, which also ranked first among #HLMSOC teams.
 
• A total of 338 men's soccer programs (across three NCAA divisions) posted a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher, earning the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for the 2025-26 academic year.
 
2026 Under Armour #HLWSOC Preseason Poll:
• Detroit Mercy was picked to finish ninth in the 2026 Under Armour #HLWSOC Preseason Poll with 37 points.
• UDM secured a spot in the 2023 #HLMSOC Championships after being picked to finish last in the 2023 Under Armour Horizon League Men's Soccer Preseason Poll.
 
Returning Firepower:
• The Titans have 18 total returners.
 
• Graduate student Midfielder Clayton Lafayette is back after seeing action in 17 games with eight starts and tied for second on the team in assists (2) and third in points (6), and was also tied for third on the team in goals (2).
 
• Junior Mano Karijan saw action in all 18 games with 14 starts and tied for second on the team in assists (2) and also tied for fourth in points (4).
• Scored his first career goal at WMU (10/8).
 
• Senior Zander Crooks and junior John Palomino also return after each scoring a goal last season.
 
Captain Leadership Holding Down the Back Line:
• The defense will be anchored by senior captain and 2025 #HLMSOC All-League First-Team selection and 2025 Sportsmanship Award recipient Drew Pierson, who led the team in points (13, T-4th HL) and goals (5, T-4th HL), and assists (3) from his defensive position.
 
• Graduate student captain Spencer Powe also returns after appearing in all 18 games with five starts, helping anchor the backline to four shutouts and three draws last season.
 
• Senior captain Ryan Moody returns after seeing action in 10 games with one start last season.
 
Between the Pipes:
• Junior Colin Monroe is back after leading the team in wins (3) and saves (37), ranked second in goals-against-average (1.69) and save percentage (71.2).
• Posted three consecutive clean sheets, leading Detroit Mercy to a 2-0-1 record to start the season.
• Named #HLMSOC Under Armour® #HLMSOC Defensive Player of the Week (8/25)
• Also was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Men's Team of the Week (Aug. 18-24).
• Made 10 total saves, posting back-to-back shutouts to lead Detroit Mercy to a 1-0-1 record against solid competition.
• Had quite the homecoming as the Willoughby, Ohio native made a career-high eight saves to record his first-career shutout, leading UDM to a scoreless draw at No. 12 Dayton.
• This marked the first time the Titans earned a draw against a ranked team on the road since a 2-2 result at No. 16 Ohio State on Sept. 26, 2017.
• He followed that performance, making two saves to record his first career win and second consecutive shutout between the pipes in UDM's 2-0 win over 2024 Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season champion Mercyhurst, who was picked to repeat as champions in the 2025 NEC preseason poll.
 
• Junior Quinn Tews also returns after seeing action in nine games and leading the team in GAA (1.57) and ranked second in saves (35).
• Was solid in goal, making a career-high eight saves as Detroit Mercy battled arch-rival Oakland to a 1-1 draw in Metro Series action (10/11).
 
Newcomers:
• Detroit Mercy has a diverse group of 10 newcomers, which includes two transfers: sophomore Thero Mitchell III (Saint Francis) and graduate student Gio Vovelli (Niagara).
 
• UDM has eight incoming freshmen in Charlie Ahearn, Sawyer Beachy, Michael Berry, Kaiden Demopolis, Daniel Kadiu, Nick Kamugunga, Hayden Gaetino, and Sebastian Sanchez, who will look to make an immediate impact.
 
Big Shoes to Fill:
• The Titans will look to replace the offensive firepower of 2025 #HLMSOC All-League Second Team selection and 2025-26 UDM President's Award recipient Guershom Sylvain, who tied for the team in game-winning goals (2, T-2nd HL), tied for second in goals (3) and points (8), and tied for second on the team in assists (2).