INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI men's soccer team will wrap up the 2013 regular season on Saturday (Nov. 9) night when the Jaguars host Summit League foe Oral Roberts under the lights at 7:00 p.m. at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. The Jaguars enter their Saturday evening matchup with Oral Roberts having clinched a spot in the Summit League Tournament, but could finish anywhere from the second to the fourth seed.
The team failed to clinch their spot in last Saturdays's matchup with Western Illinois, but secured it after Eastern Illinois's 3-0 loss to Omaha on Sunday.
Free t-shirts will be distributed to fans while supplies last and local club teams have been invited to the match and will have the opportunity to play on the pitch during halftime.
IUPUI (2-11-4) looked rusty in their 5-0 defeat to Western Illinois (5-10) on Saturday, coming off nearly two weeks of rest. Western Illinois took a 1-0 lead in the 41st minute, but did the bulk of their scoring in the second half. The lead ballooned to 5-0 after two late goals including a penalty kick in the 87th minute. Despite the loss, the Jaguars find themselves locked into the Summit League Tournament and fighting for a potential second seed.
"Sometimes you have to get lucky." said Head Coach
Isang Jacob. "We're in the tournament. It's the first one for me since I've been a head coach and it's the first one for the group of guys that I brought in... We just want them to understand that this is expected from now on."
Goalie
Eduardo Cortes is still seeking his third win of the season. He has 75 saves so far and a 1.95 goals against average. Senior forward
Ian Block leads the team with two goals and six points and sophomore back
Lance Davis is right behind with two goals and five points, including a game-winning goal.
Oral Roberts (6-7-3) is currently tied for second in the Summit League with a 3-2 record in conference play. The Golden Eagles lost 2-0 to Denver on Saturday, but won their previous two matches. They have been outshot by their opponents 248-144 this season. Edgardo Mira leads the Golden Eagles with four goals and nine points and Marco Hernandez and Alex White each have two goals.
IUPUI defeated Oral Roberts 2-0 last October in Tulsa and holds a 10-8 record in the series. A loss or a tie on Saturday will assure the Jaguars the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Summit League Tournament. A win coupled with a Western Illinois loss would vault the Jaguars to the No. 2 seed, while a win paired with a WIU tie or win would give the Jaguars the No. 3 seed.