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INDIANAPOLIS - Freshman goalkeeper Quinn McCallion recorded his first career shutout and junior Pedro Valladao tallied a goal in the 74th minute as the IUPUI men's soccer team snapped a lengthy winless streak and opened Horizon League play with a 1-0 victory over Detroit Mercy on a waterlogged Saturday night (Sept. 8). The victory broke a 20-game winless streak for the program dating back to the final match of the 2016 season and put the Jags at the top of the Horizon League standings after one week of play. 

"I'm really proud and happy for our young men," head coach Brian Barnett said. "We've been close and we've dealt with adversity, but tonight, I thought they showed some fortitude and fight in being able to get this win. Now we've put ourselves in a position where we're going to be one of the few teams that's undefeated to start league play and that means a lot to us. 

"It's only a beginning, but I couldn't be happier for our guys to get this result."

The remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon was wreaking havoc all day on all sides, giving the match a feel that the first goal may be the only goal. Both teams struggled to string together passes and were largely reliant on restarts and throw-ins to muster chances. 

It just so happened that it was an IUPUI restart in the 74th minute that resulted in the game's only goal. 

Senior Sam Gavin, who had had two restarts from similar spots earlier in the half, played a long ball into danger near the six-yard box. Valladao was able to get on the receiving end of the kick and scissored a shot past Evan Mazurek for his third career score and second-ever game-winner. 

Even as the Jaguars tried to kill the game and escape victorious, Detroit Mercy (1-4, 0-1 HL) provided a number of tense moments down the stretch. 

The Jaguars tried to concede an equalizer as Detroit Mercy's Mohamed Miri was awarded a PK with 6:01 remaining in regulation. However, Miri's strike hit the left post and glanced back on the field of play. Moments later, Tommy Patacca cleared a Jake Reitzloff attempt off the line with just less than four minutes left to play. 

All total, IUPUI (1-2-1, 1-0 HL) allowed 12 corner kicks and 13 shot attempts to the Titans. McCallion's best save of the day came in the first half when he went sprawling to punch a Garret Weaver header aside in the 24th minute, resulting in a UDM corner. 

The IUPUI offense, which closed with 10 shots and six corner kicks, relied largely on attempts from distance in the first half as they tested Mazurek's hands on shots from distance. The UDM keeper closed with five saves in the loss. 

McCallion made four stops in his first career win. 

IUPUI will return to action on Wednesday when the Jaguars trek to Eastern Illinois on Wednesday evening for a 4:00 p.m. kickoff in Charleston, Ill.