QUICK HITS
- Grace Grant converted a penalty kick at the 27:33 mark of the first period for the only goal of the match
- Stevie Holbrook made five saves and posted her sixth shutout of the season in goal
- Cleveland State closed out the home portion of its regular season with the victory over the Titans
- Cleveland State improved to 5-7-3 overall and 3-3-1 in the Horizon League with the win
MATCH RECAP
CLEVELAND -- Grace Grant converted a first-period penalty kick and Stevie Holbrook made five saves and turned in a clean sheet as Cleveland State closed the home portion of its regular season schedule with a 1-0 Horizon League victory over Detroit Mercy on Wednesday on Krenzler Field.
The Vikings victory was made more significant by Northern Kentucky's 2-0 victory against Oakland as Cleveland State remained a point ahead of the Norse in the chase for a berth in the Horizon League Tournament. Cleveland State, which is 3-3-1 in the Horizon League, gained three points with its victory to up its total to 10 points on the year, while Northern Kentucky has nine points on the season and occupies the seventh place in the league standings. The top six teams in the regular season will advance to the Horizon League Tournament beginning on Nov. 4.
After failing on an earlier penalty kick in the first period, Grant put the Vikings ahead to stay when she beat Detroit Mercy keeper Cece Muskovac at the 27:33 mark of the opening period.
Holbrook, and the Vikings defense, held the Titans off the scoreboard to make the goal by Grant stand up. Holbrook made five saves on the night and posted her sixth shutout of the season.
Both teams finished with 12 shots for the match and the Titans held a slim 4-3 advantage in corner kicks. The match proved to be a physical encounter as Cleveland State had 16 fouls and Detroit Mercy had 13 fouls.
Grant, Toni Dickson and Sydney Hamker each had two shots to lead Cleveland State, while Grace Krosky, Essence Canady, Briana Niedermeier, Rylee Bussen, Courtney Coholich and Ja'Maya Ward each finished with one shot.
Cleveland State improved to 5-7-3 overall on the season, while Detroit Mercy dropped to 2-11-2 overall and 0-6-1 in the Horizon League.
Cleveland State will finish the season with a pair of road matches in search of a berth in the Horizon League Tournament. The Vikings will face UIC on Sunday (Oct. 27) and close the regular season at Wright State on Nov. 1.