Box Score (.html) I Box Score (.pdf) I Photo Gallery I Highlights I Aguilar Postgame

INDIANAPOLIS - IUPUI senior midfielder Alan Aguilar scored a pair of second half goals and the Jaguars' defense dialed up its first shutout of the 2019 season on Sunday (Sept. 8) as IUPUI rolled past Purdue Fort Wayne, 2-0. 

IUPUI (1-1-1) dictated pace and controlled possession throughout, but ultimately didn't scratch until the game's 61st minute. After a string of passes, Aguilar redirected a Fernando Borges feed, angling a shot into the lower right-hand corner of the net, past Purdue Fort Wayne (1-3-0) netminder Tor Erik Larsen. Junior Gianni Catenacci also helped setup the goal, registering his second assist of the season. 

"It's very exciting. I'm very happy about this group that we're playing with. We have a lot of potential and we're just building momentum right now heading into the Horizon League season, so it's good to start scoring goals and good to see wins now," Aguilar said. "Once we started actually going toward their defense, making dangerous plays, that's when magic started happening."

Just more than three minutes later, Aguilar provided breathing room when he converted a penalty kick for his seventh career score. It capped his second career multi-goal game and marked his second career game-winner. Senior Yan Souza earned the opportunity when he was pulled down by the shoulders as he was charging on goal from the right side.

Even with a two goal lead, IUPUI continued to push the pace, ultimately finishing with a 19-8 shot advantage while sophomore goalkeeper Quinn McCallion needed just one save in recording the shutout. 

The back group of Catenacci, Ethan Diedel, Caleb Hussain and Tommy Patacca kept things mostly clean in the first half before head coach Brian Barnett threw more numbers into the attack after the break. 

In the first half, junior back Tommy Patacca hit the crossbar with a header in the game's fifth minute and Borges just missed a sliding score off a rolled cross from Landon Malott from the right side. 

In the second half, freshman Carson Shrader got a pair of good looks early in the stanza, including a header right at Larsen from point blank range in the 49th minute. 

The Jaguars' crisp passing was much of the story as IUPUI snapped a three-game skid to the Mastodons. Shrader and Aguilar had a team-high four shot attempts each and Borges had three tries. 

IUPUI will now open Horizon League play when the Jaguars take on Northern Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 7:00 p.m. in Highland Heights, Ky. That contest will be seen on ESPN+.