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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The IUPUI men's soccer team opened the 2017 season on Saturday night (Aug. 26), falling at Bowling Green 2-0 in front of an announced crowd of more than 1,600 fans. Bowling Green's (1-0) Moe Mustafa tallied the game-winner in the game's tenth minute and later assisted on an insurance tally in the 42nd minute. 

"First and foremost, give credit to Bowling Green. They had a good crowd on opening night and haven't lost a home opener since hosting No. 1 Akron in 2010," IUPUI Head Coach Brian Barnett said. "They're a quality opponent and veteran laden team and bear in mind, 10 of our 16 guys are either playing their first collegiate games or are playing their first games since coming off of injuries. 

"It's hard to prepare for those nerves. You can talk about it and try to replicate it, but you truly can't prepare for those nerves and Bowling Green took advantage of it by scoring less than 10 minutes into the game. From there, they had the advantage and we were left trying to chase the game a bit."

Mustafa tallied BGSU's first goal of the season from close range, thanks to assists from Chris Brennan and Alexis Souahy, slipping a shot past IUPUI netminder Michael Buck. Just before halftime, Mustafa helped setup a Brennan score to make it 2-0 in the 42nd minute. 

After being outshot 5-1 in the first half, IUPUI played Bowling Green more evenly in the second half. 

"I give tremendous credit to our student-athletes for coming out in the second half and showing a response," Barnett said. "Now, it's easy to say that and it's not reflected on the score sheet and you can say that Bowling Green didn't have to do as much in the second half because they had a 2-0 lead. That said, I was proud of our guys for coming out and showing a response and matching the effort and enthusiasm of Bowling Green."

Sophomore Yan Souza had a pair of early shot attempts while freshman Seth Vang was credited with a team-high three shots, including putting one on frame in the 76th minute. BGSU goalkeeper Anthony Mwembia made his lone save of the match on that attempt en route to the shutout victory. 

Buck closed with a pair of saves in his first collegiate action. 

"This was a fantastic opportunity for our program and our young guys to play a strong, established program like Bowling Green," Barnett said. "We'll be better prepared for what's ahead, having played this match."

IUPUI will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 1 at 7:00 p.m. when the Jaguars take on the University of Cincinnati on the road.