A 20-minute stretch where seemingly nothing could go right was all it took to knock Detroit City FC out of the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night.

DCFC gave up three goals between the 14th and 36th minute in the Open Cup Round of 16 matchup on the road against Indy Eleven, the only goals scored in the game. Detroit City had strong spells of possession and stayed on the attack, but couldn’t find a way through Indy to dig out of the early hole in the 3-0 loss in Indianapolis.

Le Rouge couldn’t recreate the magic of their thrilling comeback win over the MLS’ Houston Dynamo in the Round of 32, where they overcame an early 2-0 deficit to win in penalties. The loss ends DCFC’s deepest run in the Open Cup in club history, while their Midwest rivals in the United Soccer League advance to the quarterfinals. 

New crib: Detroit City FC’s new Corktown stadium aims to be ‘forever home of soccer in Detroit’

The two sides were even through the opening 10 minutes but Indy broke the deadlock with an effective counterattack. Indy quickly hoofed a free kick from midfield up to forward Douglas Martinez, who settled the ball and played it out wide to Ben Mines. Mines found right back Benjamin Ofeimu on an overlapping run, who played a first-time cross across the box back towards Martinez, who redirected the ball into DCFC captain Stephen Carroll and it ricocheted into the left corner for an own goal.

DCFC forward Ben Morris created two chances for an equalizer in the next 10 minutes, but his shots were parried by diving stops to the left from Indy goalie Hunter Sulte. His left-footed shot after a long run lacked juice and the second, a one-timer off a pass from Maxi Rodriguez, was too close to Sulte. 

In the 33rd minute, Indy midfielder Jack Blake delivered a perfectly weighted ball over the top of DCFC’s back line to the foot of Martinez, who laid it off to Augustine Williams for a one-on-one with Carlos Saldana, who he beat to make it 2-0. Less than two minutes later, Indy earned a corner kick and Ofeimu made it 3-0 after he muscled through the defense at the back post to slot home a header.

DCFC threatened in the final minute of the first half after winger Devon Amoo-Mensah cut in for a shot, forcing a diving save that led to a corner. DCFC earned a second corner and opted to play it short and Abdoulaye Diop delivered a long cross to an open Carroll at the back post, but Sulte made an incredible save across his body to deny the header, and Morris’ rebound was blocked.

Head coach Danny Dichio brought on a pair of substitutions, with Victor Bezerra at forward and Alex Villanueva at left back, but a comeback couldn’t be sparked. DCFC had a flurry of chances on corners in the 58th minute, but the best chance on a Bezerra header narrowly went over the goal. Three more subs came in the 71st minute, but there was still no luck despite two more chances from Yazeed Matthews and one from Amoo-Mensah.

DCFC outshot Indy 17-6, and 7-2 in shots on goal, per ESPN, while maintaining two-thirds of the possession, but just couldn’t find the net like Indy did in the first half.

Detroit defeated Indy, 2-1, on the road in the third USL league game in comeback fashion, but this loss knocks it out of contention of winning the Open Cup and qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The USL schedule, where DCFC (5-1-2) sits third in the Eastern Conference with 17 points, resumes next Wednesday with a trip to play Louisville City FC. Le Rouge plays Indy again at home in October at the end of the season.

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) – Wedding rings, false teeth, holstered firearms, and someone’s ashes – it’s not just wallets and mobile devices that Lisa Eick will fetch for those enjoying lake life before they lost their grip. 

While cell phones do make up almost half of what the Clinton Township diver retrieves, she will take any calls she can get. 

“I found a phone while I was looking for a wallet, a wallet while I was looking for a phone – so there’s all kinds of stuff down there,” Eick said. “But I never find extra diamond rings.”

If there is one thing that living in a state surrounded by water can guarantee, it’s people enjoying time along the beach. And where people go, their clumsy habits are sure to follow. But that’s where Eick’s business comes in. 

Through her business Maiden Voyage Adventures, she has spent years diving beneath the surface to retrieve lost treasures, providing many around metro Detroit with the joy of reclaiming their valuables.

And she has seen a lot of valuables.

“Phones are about 40% of what I get,” the 36-year-old diver said. “Keys are a big one, sunglasses, or prescription glasses are big, (and) wallets. But I also cut off ropes around props.” 

Recovery scuba diver Lisa Eick with an heirloom ring she found for a client at Safe Harbor Jefferson Beach Marina. (Provided by Lisa Eick)

From passion to career

Eick has lived and worked across the U.S. in California and Wisconsin, as well as abroad in Mexico and New Zealand. A passion she discovered with a friend soon turned into a business venture.

“I went out diving with (a friend) a few times and just loved it,” Eick said. “And then when he passed away, I was kind of looking for some more work.”

It took her two weekends to become open-water certified. Since then, she’s earned her advanced open water certificate and has plans to become a divemaster and instructor. 

In 2021, Maiden Voyage Adventures was born, though not as a career. It was meant to be a side gig where she could earn some cash to keep her afloat. What started as a service for backpacking trips and sea kayaking soon spiraled into something a bit more specialized – diving for people’s lost belongings. 

Eick has searched for people’s lost belongings as deep as 20 feet underwater, she said. While she’s sometimes asked to fetch jewelry in area lakes, most of her calls are to shallow marinas. 

The length of her searches can vary, though usually she finds lost items with ease.

“If people know where they dropped something, I can find it pretty quickly,” Eick said. Though, if the caller has been drinking, it isn’t always as easy. 

“This has happened before, especially after a few drinks. Maybe if they have the location wrong, it can take a little while, but usually it’s quick,” she added.

How she finds lost valuables 

Eick is discreet about the exact methods she employs to locate lost items underwater, but before each dive, she gears up with a dive suit, mask, a snorkel and other equipment – one of which is a weighted belt to counteract buoyancy.

Sometimes, people will try retrieving possessions themselves by using a net. It usually fails and only further submerges their lost items. But she’s prepared for that complication as well, using a metal detector when it comes to small metallic items like jewelry.

While losing something may be an annoyance for people – Eick loves diving for belongings.

“I mean just the reward of finding a lost item and then people are so happy to get their stuff back,” she said. “It’s just very satisfying. And then when I get to find stuff like family jewelry… that’s extremely satisfying to get that kind of unique stuff back.”

However, the drawbacks include frequent ear infections and hair issues due to showering after each dive.

An old shoe found by recovery scuba diver Lisa Eick. (Provided by Lisa Eick)

Unusual finds

From Port Huron to Detroit, Eick will meet you where you dropped your item. Anything outside of that may result in extra fees for the client.

But no matter where she dives, great stories have come out of some bizarre discoveries.

“I definitely find some interesting stuff. I found a golf cart once; that was a lot of fun. Obviously, it was easy to find,” Eick said. “I did find an urn one time. It could have been an animal. I don’t know what it was, but it was definitely an urn with some ashes, so I took it out to deeper water and left it there. I don’t want to bring that home,”

Recovery scuba diver Lisa Eick with an urn she found while diving in Halfmoon Lake in the Pinckney Recreation Area. (Provided by Lisa Eick)

Other finds include shoes, glasses, a porcelain dental bridge – which is harder to find since she could not use a metal detector to locate it. 

She’s even recovered some guns. 

“I had a couple of weeks last year where I was getting quite a few firearms – everybody was just dropping their guns. All of them were loaded. Two of them were in holsters, but the third one wasn’t and didn’t have the safety, so I was very nervous about that one,” Eick said. “But fortunately, I was able to see it just barely sticking out of the mud, so I didn’t have to feel around in the dark for a gun.”

Other finds are less dangerous and more sentimental. Some people lose their phones that have photos of their loved ones who have died but weren’t backed up.

“That’s happened I think three different times,” she said. “I’m really happy to get those back, and usually the phone will work.”

While her busiest season is approaching, Eick is always available to recover lost items – unless she’s underwater, on another call. 

During the winter months, calls are rare. However, this winter she will stay busy teaching diving at Bruno’s Dive Shop in Clinton Township.

Tips from Eick herself

If you drop something in water, here are some things you should know before giving Eick a call.

• Do not use a net to retrieve items dropped in the water. It will bury the item.
• Keep track of the exact area where the item was dropped, it will allow her to find it faster.
• Avoid diving into marinas to search for your item yourself, as electricity from boats that are plugged in could lead to electric shock drowning. Eick uses a device to detect electrical currents in water before diving in.

Upon discovering Eick and her services, it’s not uncommon for people to call her up again. 

“I get a lot of repeat customers. I think I had one guy call me five times one season, but that’s unusual,” she said. “I’ve gotten the same phone multiple times. I’ve gotten the same pair of glasses multiple times.”

To contact Eick, call 586-873-8110 or message her on the Maiden Voyage Adventures Facebook page. Other details can be found on her website.

“I am very lucky to get to do this,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Recovery scuba diver Lisa Eick with a sign for her business, Maiden Voyage Adventures. She finds lost items for individuals around metro Detroit. (Provided by Lisa Eick)

DETROIT – A 14-year-old boy has been shot and killed on Detroit’s east side.

The boy’s life was cut short while walking home from East English Village Preparatory Academy (The Ville) at Finney High School on Wednesday (May 22) afternoon off the I-94 Service Drive near King Richard Street.

The shooting sparked a massive investigation and search for the shooter as friends of the teen said he was a good student who was very popular, which has everyone confused as to why he was killed and left in a vacant lot.

In the past few hours, Local 4 learned neighbors believe there was only one shooter.

Police still have a lot to piece together before fully understanding how the teen ended up dead.

Detroit police, along with the sheriff’s department and Michigan State Police, were on the scene quickly, but it was too late as the 14-year-old boy had been shot and killed in a vacant lot.

Neighbors who fear reprisals and don’t want to be on camera told Local 4 a group of teens who aren’t usually in the area appeared to be hanging out. They said there was no friction until they suddenly heard raised voices and gunshots.

Neighbors said they saw one shooter and one gun, and after the bullets stopped, the 14-year-old boy was dead.

Officials say he and some of the other teens who were out there with him were students at the same high school.

They were less than a mile from the school when the shooting happened, and school staff, including the principal and the dean, rushed over there.

Multiple teens have been taken into custody for questioning, but it is unclear if they have the shooter in custody.