ROCHESTER, Mich. (9/30/15) – On a cold and windy night, the University of Detroit Mercy and Oakland women's soccer teams kicked off the 2015-16 Metro Series with a 1-1 tie in double overtime from Oakland Soccer Field.
 
The Horizon League tilt was a tale of two halves, with each team dominating play while the wind was at their back. Detroit dominated the first and Oakland flipped the script in the second.
 
The Titans led 1-0 at the break on a goal from senior Jennifer Borawski and outshot the hosts 10-1. In the second half, the Golden Grizzlies scored the equalizer and outshot Detroit 9-3 in the frame.
 
The teams poured it all out on the field as play opened up in the extra frames. Detroit earned the best chances in overtime, but could not find the golden goal.
 
With the tie, Detroit moves to 4-5-2 overall and 1-1-1 in Horizon League play. Meanwhile, Oakland moves to 2-5-5 overall and 1-1-1 in league action.
 
How It Happened
• The Titans poured on the pressure early, registering three shots in the first five minutes of the game. A corner kick from Alyssa Lotito found the head of her favorite target, Molly Kane, who sent a shot off the right post.
• Jennifer Borawski nearly turned an Oakland turnover into the game's first goal after tearing through the center of the Golden Grizzlies defense and blasting a shot at goal, but a sprawled out keeper made an acrobatic save to keep the tie in tact in the 22^nd minute.
• Just moments later, Borawski tracked down a long, over-the-top feed from Lotito, headed the ball past a charging Oakland goalkeeper, fended off a defender and chased the ball into the back of the net to give Detroit a 1-0 lead in the 26^th minute.
• After the break, Oakland came out determined to net the equalizer and generated a few dangerous chances. Freshman Claudia Eustaquio made a fantastic save on a Golden Grizzlies shot to preserve the 1-0 Detroit lead in the 55^th minute.
• Oakland strung a series of passes together down the right side and tipped in the equalizer past a sliding Eustaquio in the 67^th minute.
• The Golden Grizzly offense was firing on all cylinders towards the end of the 2^nd half, peppering the Titans goal and clanging a pair of shots off the crossbar and the post.
• In overtime, Detroit produced several scoring chances but was unable to find the game-winner. The Titans outshot the Grizzlies 4-2 in extra time.
• The game was heavily influenced by the elements, with each team thriving on offensive with the frigid wind at the back.

Quote of the Night
"This is Oakland and Detroit, I wouldn't expect anything different," said Coach Lupenec on the game's phsyical play.

Leading the Titans
• Borawski tallied a team-high and season-best five shots, three of which came on goal. She added a goal, her second of the season.
• Anna Mindling added four shots, followed by Lotito with three shots and an assist.
• Eustaquio made four saves and allowed just one goal in 110 minutes in goal.
 
Inside the Box Score
• Detroit registered the first 10 shots of the game, with the Golden Grizzlies picking up their first shot in the 41^st minute.
• At halftime, Detroit led 1-0 on the goal from Borawski and held a 10-1 edge in shots.
• With the wind in the first half, Detroit led Oakland in shots 10-1. In the second half, OU led UDM 9-3 in shots.
• The Titans held the edge in shots (17-12), shots on goal (7-5) and corner kicks (5-4).
 
Titan News and Notes
• On the season, Detroit is 4-5-2 overall and 1-1-1 in Horizon League play.
• Detroit throttled Green Bay, 5-0, in their Horizon League opener, but has scored just one goal in the following two games.
• The Titans have fared much better at home in 2015, with a 4-1-1 record. On the road, Detroit is 0-4-1.
• Senior Alyssa Lotito notched her team-leading seventh point of the season with an assist. With the helper, she moved into seventh place in all-time career assists at UDM with 18.
• Eight Titans have scored, with seven players registering at least two goals in 2015.
• Defensively, the Titans have allowed just two goals in the last five games.
 
Metro Series
Detroit and Oakland have branded an annual rivalry called the Metro Series, which will be awarded to the school with the most head-to-head victories over the course of the academic year. Separated by just 26 miles, Detroit and Oakland are the only Division I schools located in the Metro Detroit area and are both members of the Horizon League.
 
With the tie, Detroit and Oakland each earn a point toward the 2015-16 Metro Series standings.
 
All-Time Series
Oakland now owns a 12-6-2 edge in the all-time series against the Titans. Four of the last five contests have gone to overtime. The tie snaps a two-game win streak in the series for Detroit, who won both games against the Golden Grizzlies last fall.
 
Up Next
Detroit returns to Horizon League action Saturday at home against Northern Kentucky. The conference tilt is set to begin at 1 p.m. from Titan Field and will be available on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app.