DETROIT - IUPUI men's soccer returns to the pitch Friday (Aug. 28) in a 12 p.m. matchup at Detroit for the 2015 regular season opener.

The Jags are coming off of a 3-1 win over Evansville earlier in the week in what was the team's last preseason test. The road victory featured another stellar performance in goal by senior Eduardo Cortes and a full-team effort as the IUPUI bench contributed quality minutes and goals. 

"It wasn't just the depth of our bench, it was the effectiveness," Head Coach Isang Jacob said. "It was people understanding their roles and performing those roles. It gave us a little more pleasure to see that we have guys who can step up and make a difference." 

The men's squad travels to face a Detroit team that went 9-7-4 in 2014 and grabbed a share of the title in the Horizon League. The Jags faced the Titans in November of last season, a duel that ended in a 0-0 draw at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. 

The Titans outshot IUPUI 22-17 in the contest but Cortes, in his usual form, recorded five saves in the draw. 

Coach Jacob believes the Titans will be a tough test but he thinks his guys are ready for the challenge. 

"They were not just co-champions last year, but they were co-champions in a really tough league," Coach Jacob added. "To be a champion in that league is well-respected. I know Coach Nick [Deren] well. He's a great coach and he's done a very good job with that program. It will be a great test for us." 

Detroit enters Friday's game after one exhibition this fall; a 0-0 draw with Duquesne (Aug. 19). The Titans return all three of their top goal-scorers from a season ago. Juniors Matt Harkema and Adam Clauss notched four goals and one assist apiece in 2014. Sophomore Spiro Pliakos also returns following a 2014 campaign where he led the team in points (15) with four goals and seven assists.