INDIANAPOLIS - Some wins feel better than others and Sunday (Sept. 18) marked one of those outcomes for the IUPUI women's soccer team. The Jaguars fell into a quick 1-0 hole, but regained composure and rallied for a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Xavier at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. Seniors Sierra Bryant and Catherine Raster accounted for the Jags' two goals as IUPUI claimed its first-ever win over Xavier in four tries. 

"It's really exciting for us, especially since we've never beaten them," Raster said. "They're a good team. We took it to them in the second half.

"We were kind of sluggish (in the first half)."

Xavier (6-3-1) pelted the Jags from every angle in the game's early going, finally breaking through when Kenadie Carlson laced a shot just inside the far post after a long run through the defense. 

It took IUPUI (6-3-1) nearly 20 minutes to tilt the field in its favor and they finally got even in the 22nd minute. Sophomore Maryna Clark sent a dangerous ball in towards XU freshman goalie Toni Bizzarro. Bizzarro got tangled with a teammate and left the ball for Bryant, who finished from in close for her third score of the year. The assist was Clark's eighth of the season, tying her for the school record set by Krissy Kirkhoff last season. 

After going into halftime knotted at 1-1, the Jags came out determined to start the second half as both Alyssa Fox and Clark had clean looks in the opening two minutes.

Two minutes later, IUPUI went ahead. 

Junior Hayley Shelton shifted a pass out wide to Minnich, who rolled a pass to an unmarked Raster. Rather than hit an initial attempt, Raster cut back inside before drilling a shot past Bizzarro from eight yards out. 

"I think we just started to open up and really find our opportunities," Clark said. "We have a habit of becoming a second half team, but we wanted to come out strong. 

"Having Cat and Tori around is really supportive. They've really helped me and I've been more confident on the ball. Having them there and having that confidence has made (this year) a lot better."

"I thought we were really resilient today," head coach Chris Johnson said. "We went down a goal, but I was proud of the ladies for not hanging their heads, but instead, looking to find an answer and get even before halftime. 

"Getting that goal was key for us and we got a lot of confidence from there. After that, I thought we did a pretty good job of taking the game to them and making them react and adjust to what we were doing out there."

Xavier's best second half build came in the 57th minute when Skylar Groth had an initial shot knocked down, resulting in a corner kick. On the corner, Ellie Eckerle redirected a header towards the near post, but Clark cleared the attempt off the back line to the right of rookie goalie Sophia Lipka.

The Jags spent much of the second half bleeding clock as Xavier became content firing from distance against Lipka and the IUPUI back line. The Musketeers closed the game with an 18-10 shot advantage, but put just four on target. Lipka made a pair of saves and improved to 3-0 in net to start her career. 

Bizzarro made three stops in the loss. 

IUPUI was 0-3 all-time against Xavier, having been blanked in all three matchups in a series that began in 2012. The Jags improved to 4-0 at Carroll Stadium this season. 

IUPUI will cap the non-conference season next weekend when they face Illinois State in Normal, Ill., on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 2:00 p.m.. That match will be broadcast on ESPN3.