Things started poorly for the Jaguars as the guests scored the game's first goal before IUPUI ever had a possession. Emily Rein blasted a shot past IUPUI goalkeeper Jessie Mann (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove) after Lindsey Wiltshire shifted a short pass to her teammate inside the 18 just 1:36 into the match.

Ball State kept the heat on, but the Jaguars were able to tie the match midway through the first half. The Jags' lone goal came in the 24th minute when sophomore Sheri Levack (Portage, Ind./Portage) hit a streaking Pilat in the middle of the field. Pilat kept her defender shielded to her left before unloading a shot just inside the right post to tie the match. The assist was Levack's third of the young season.

The Cards got the eventual game-winner in the 39th minute thanks to a beautiful goal from Laura Bandy. Katelyn Alexander set the table by crossing a ball from the right side, while Bandy capped the play with a sliding shot just past Mann.

Vandi Ogden added an insurance goal early in the first half when she secured a loose ball off a corner kick and laced a shot into the right side of the net from 10 yards out.

IUPUI had a couple of chances to cut into the lead including forcing a team save on Maggie Mistovich's (Dyer, Ind./Marian Catholic) header on a corner kick.

Defensively, IUPUI used a make shift defensive back line with both Lisa Gebhard (Fond du Lac, Wisc./Fond du Lac) and Jenni Cusick (Floyds Knobs, Ind./Providence) out of the lineup. Mistovich and senior Joan Vidimos (Chesterton, Ind./Andrean) filled the middle in front of Mann.

"I thought Maggie did a fantastic job in the back," IUPUI head coach Chris Johnson said. "She did a great job going up and challenging for balls.

"The one play that stands out in my mind was when she put the shot on goal and their kid clears it off the line. At the other end, she was the first kid back and beat her to the opposite goal line at the end of the field."

Mann turned in a season-high eight saves while her defense had a pair of additional team saves. Ball State outshot IUPUI 27-9 overall and 13-6 on goal for the game. The Cardinals also had 11 corner kicks and allowed IUPUI just four.

BSU goalkeeper Alison Becker made four saves in the win.

The win improved Ball State to 5-1 overall while the Jags fell to 2-4 on the year.

"They have tremendous team speed," Johnson said. "It wasn't just up top. Their left forward was incredibly fast. Their team speed is a notch above ours.

"I think we'll be able to compete in our conference just fine, but we scheduled this game because it was somebody who was going to challenge us going into our conference schedule."

The Jags return to action on Sunday when they travel to Murray State. IUPUI beat MSU 3-0 in last year's season finale.