The BasicsScore: Detroit 3, Wright State 2 (2OT)
Records: Detroit 4-3-8 (1-1-5 HL), Wright State 9-4-1 (4-3-1 HL)
Location: Dayton, Ohio (Alumni Field)
DAYTON, Ohio (10/24/2015) -- Senior defender
Jacob Prud'homme fired home a golden goal early in the second overtime Saturday evening to lift the University of Detroit Mercy men's soccer team to a come-from-behind 3-2 road win over Wright State.
The Titans improved to 1-1-5 in the Horizon League and earned a crucial three points to jump up the standings and into the thick of the playoff race with eight points overall. Following Saturday's results, Detroit is in a three-way tie for sixth with two Horizon League matches remaining.
Detroit trailed regionally-ranked Wright State by a 2-1 margin late in a soggy and physical battle in Dayton. That's when sophomore forward
Spiro Pliakos corralled a pass from
Aidan Kuhls just outside the box, turned and fired a perfectly placed ball over Wright State goalkeeper Tyler Blackmer and just underneath the crossbar. Pliakos' goal in the 89th minute tied the game 2-2 with just over one minute left in regulation.
Both teams had good looks in the first overtime period, but neither team was able to score the golden goal after 10 minutes of extra time.
Detroit forced a Wright State turnover early in the second overtime and Prud'homme made his way up from his defensive spot on the wing and was left alone on the left side of box. Senior
Jason Leslie got the ball to Prud'homme who fired the ball past a charging Blackmer and to the right side of the net for his first goal of the season and the game-winner.
The victory for Detroit was its first in Horizon League play after the Titans opened the conference season with five-straight draws. Wright State had only given up eight total goals this season entering the game to lead the Horizon League, but Detroit tallied three goals in 103 minutes against the Raiders. It was the first time this season that Detroit has tallied three goals in a match.
UDM led early in the contest after
Spiro Pliakos found sophomore
Don Nakashima on a breakaway towards goal. Nakashima found the back of the net off the breakaway for his third goal of the season. Nakashima's tally came in just six minutes into the match.
Wright State scored goals in the 14th and 64th minutes. The Raiders had 13 shots in the second half, but Detroit senior goalkeeper
Nathan Steinwascher was up to the task, making seven saves for the Titans.
Inside the Box Score• Wright State held the advantage in shots during the contest, 24-18, but Detroit held the edge in overtime, 3-2. Wright State tallied 13 shots in the second half.
• Detroit had three different goal scorers. It was the first time this season that UDM has tallied three goals in one game.
• The Raiders had 10 corner kicks during the match, while Detroit posted five corners. The two teams entered the game as the top two squads in corner kicks in the Horizon League. Detroit had all three corner kick opportunities in overtime.
•
Nathan Steinwascher made seven saves, the fifth game out of six in which he has stopped six or more shots.
• Pliakos, Nakashima and
Tyler Moorman each tallied three shots during the contest.
• WSU's Eric Lynch had a game-high six shots for the Raiders. He also scored one of the two goals.
• Four yellow cards were issued -- two to each squad.
Titan Notes• It was the first time this season that Detroit has scored three goals in a game.
• Detroit is 4-1-6 in its past 11 matches dating back to Sept. 6.
• Detroit remains one draw away from tying the NCAA record of nine, which is held by five teams and most recently done in 2014.
• Prud'homme scored his second career goal. His first goal came last year at home against Cleveland State.
• It's the sixth overtime game this season for Detroit in Horizon League play. The Titans tied their first five conference matches this season.
• Detroit has played in 10 overtime games overall. It was the first golden goal in those 10 matches (1-1-8).
•
John D'Agostino returned to the back line for the Titans after missing the last three games. He played all 103 minutes.
• Pliakos tallied three points to take over the team lead for points. He has 11 on the season and leads the team with five assists.
• Nakashima and Pliakos are tied for second on the squad with three goals each. Nakashima has two goals in his last three contests and has started the past two games for Detroit.
Up NextDetroit returns to the pitch on Tuesday, traveling to IPFW for a non-conference match-up. Senior Day is on Saturday with Detroit hosting Horizon League for Milwaukee at 12 p.m. on ESPN3.com. It'll be the second-to-last Horizon League match this season.
