vs. Bradley (Friday, Aug. 31 - 5pm): Live Stats
at Evansville (Sunday, Sept. 2 - 3:30pm): Live Stats I ESPN+

INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI men's soccer team will hit the field twice this weekend, beginning with Friday's (Aug. 31) home opener with Bradley University at the on-campus Michael A. Carroll Stadium at 5:00 p.m.. Head coach Brian Barnett's squad will cap the weekend at Evansville on Sunday (Sept. 2) in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

On Friday, Barnett will match wits with his longtime mentor as head coach Jim DeRose brings his Bradley squad to town. Prior to taking over the reins of the IUPUI program, Barnett spent seven years on DeRose's Bradley staff and was chosen among the inaugural "30-Under-30" Class by the NSCAA in 2013. Barnett is a native of Peoria, Ill., and still has family in the area. 

Entering his third season on the IUPUI sidelines, Barnett is well into a full rebuild of the program, particularly on the defensive side where his squad put up a strong showing in the opener. The Jags dropped a 1-0 double overtime decision at Valpo to open the season as rookie goalkeeper Quinn McCallion was brilliant in his first-ever start. The rookie netminder was under siege throughout, facing 28 total shots and making eight stops. Senior Nick Anderson and sophomore Tommy Patacca played all 104 minutes in the defensive third while three other field players also played more than 90 minutes. 

"We're super proud of the group. I think that we're disappointed to have lost the game, but we learned a lot about the character of the team and the character of our individuals in that game," Barnett said after the Valpo loss. "As players become more and more conditioned, we'll continue to get stronger. There's nothing that replicates the tenacity and pace of college soccer.

"There's a huge learning curve for our young guys and our new guys."

This week, Barnett is optimistic that he'll have more healthy bodies at his disposal after a number of his players have been sidelined in the season's early going. Notably, Virginia Tech graduate transfer Rodrigo Zampieri and former high school All-American Corey Goede are nearing their debuts after missing much of the preseason action. 

QUOTABLE: "He was stone cold - he was unfazed by the situation, which is unreal for a freshman. The next step for him will be finding his voice and continuing to grow as he commands the back line. He's a really good in his distribution as well, which will only help us from an attacking standpoint," Barnett said of McCallion.  

SCOUTING BRADLEY: Bradley is 1-0-1 to start the season after playing Gonzaga to a 2-2 draw before beating Oral Roberts, 2-1. Roman Schindler has two of the Braves' four goals while Gerit Wintermeyer has a goal and an assist through two games. In goal, Albert Reinwart has a 1.35 goals against average and nine saves in 200 minutes of work. Bradley has outshot their first two foes of the year by a 32-24 margin. 

SCOUTING EVANSVILLE: Evansville is 0-2 to start the year, having suffered defeats at Utah Valley (0-4) and to UNLV (1-4), also in Orem, Utah. Adam Snow has UE's lone goal of the season while Simon Waever has the Aces' lone assist. In goal, Frederik Reimer has played all 180 minutes, yielding eight goals and making seven saves. UE will play at Eastern Illinois on Friday ahead of Sunday's match with the Jaguars.

INSIDE THE SERIES: IUPUI is 0-3 all-time against both Bradley and Evansville. The Jags last faced Bradley in 2007, losing to the Braves 3-0 in Peoria. IUPUI last faced the Purple Aces in 2011, losing to Evansville in Lexington, 2-0. 

NEXT UP: IUPUI will open Horizon League play on Saturday, Sept. 8 when the Jaguars host Detroit Mercy at 7:00 p.m. in a match that will be broadcast on ESPN3. That match is designated as a ROAR for 5 contest as those participating in the ROAR for 5 challenge will receive FREE admission that day.