DETROIT -- Sophomore Joel Matthews (St. Catharines, ON/Holy Cross) scored just one goal on the day, but it made all the difference as Detroit won 8-7 in overtime on Saturday against Marist. The win was the second career overtime victory in Titan history and the third overtime played with all three at home.
The win was the third-straight for Detroit who move to 5-4 on the year and 2-0 in the MAAC. The Titans have also won four-straight at Titan Field dating back to last season. Marist is now 3-3, 1-1 in conference play.
Senior Scott Harris (Saline, MI/Saline) was the high goal scorer for Detroit ending with his fifth career hat trick on three goals. Matthews finished with three points by adding two helpers, while sophomores Shayne Adams (St. Catharines, ON/Denis Morris) and Alex Maini (Lynbrook, NY/Lynbrook) each recorded a goal and an assist.
The golden goal came with 1:38 left in the first overtime after both teams traded turnovers to start the period. When UDM got the ball back, sophomore Troy Dennis (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) turned the corner on his defender and looked like he had a chance at the game winner, but his shot was altered by Marist goalie Craig Goodermote. The Titans retained possession and then Matthews went one on one with his defender and was able to fire off the winning goal.
It was a tight game right from the very start with six ties and neither team holding more than a two-goal lead. Detroit tied it at 1-all when redshirt freshman Scott Drummond (Birmingham, MI/Seaholm) had an unassisted goal in the first. It would later be tied at two as Adams fed Maini for the marker.
Harries evened things again at 3-all with 11:51 left in the second when he notched his first, but the Red Foxes went into the break with a 4-3 advantage.
Matthews then assisted on Adams' goal to knot it at four apiece in the third. After Marist took a 5-4 lead, the Titans made their run to take control scoring three –straight times in the final 3:37 of the period to jump out in front, 7-5.
Matthews came up with his second assist to start the run as Harris found the back of the net. A little more than a minute later, senior John Nowicki (Clinton Twp., MI/De La Salle Collegiate) posted his second goal of the season and the Titans had their first lead of the game at 6-5, and would then extend it to 7-5 as Maini found Harris for his hat trick.
The Titans were shutout in the fourth as Marist came back to tie the game with a pair of goals in the first five minutes, but both defenses played great down the stretch to keep their counterparts off the scoreboard setting up the bonus lacrosse action.
Junior A.J. Levell (Columbus, OH/Dublin Scioto) made nine saves in net to pick up the win. Junior Jordan Houtby (St. Catharines, ON/Holy Cross) had a game-high three caused turnovers and three ground balls, while junior John Dwyer (Novi, MI/Detroit Catholic Central) had two caused TO's and three GB's.
Junior Tyler Corcoran (South Lyon, MI/South Lyon) was 7-of-8 in face-offs with a team-best five ground balls, while junior Brandon Davenport (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI/GP North) was 5-of-10 corralling three GB's.
Detroit held a 33-24 advantage in ground balls and was 16-of-20 on clears.
The Titans return to action next Saturday when the red, white and blue travel to the Big Apple to face Manhattan. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m.