CINCINNATI, Ohio - The IUPUI men's soccer team got an impressive first half goal from fifth-year senior midfielder Cameron Haegele, but fell short in its road upset bid as the Jaguars fell at Xavier, 3-1 on Sunday (Aug. 29). Haegele blazed home an equalizer in the game's 26th minute, only to see the Musketeers pull ahead just before halftime. 

The hosts added some late insurance to seal the victory. 

"I couldn't be more proud of our guys in that second half. It's disappointing to lose but I'm very proud of their effort and ethic to kind of put Xavier back on its heels," head coach Brian Barnett said. "Our defensive work rate and pressure put Xavier on their heels in the second half and helped us create some (scoring) opportunities."

Xavier (2-0) went in front in the 24th minute when Karsen Henderlong nudged a shot just over the line after getting on the end of a Justus Kauppinen rebound. Redshirt sophomore Lucas Morefield stopped Kauppinen's initial attempt, but saw Henderlong beat him to the rebound for his first score of the year. 

IUPUI (0-1-1) had an immediate answer, courtesy of Haegele's drive. Corey Goede delivered a long throw-in to the six-yard box, only to see it cleared away by a Xavier defender. However, the clearance found Haegele just beyond the 18-yard box and the Missouri-native blasted a right-footed shot just inside the post for his first career score. It was ultimately IUPUI's only shot attempt of the first half. 

Xavier went back in front just before halftime when Jerome Jolly rifled a shot home from deep in IUPUI territory. Taylor Rhinehart set the table and Jolly responded with his second game-winning goal in as many games. 

IUPUI was more threatening offensively in the second half, using restarts to create chances. Logan Finnegan tested XU goalkeeper Matthew Rosenberg with a free kick in the 58th minute and later Luke Liljegren had a header at the far post knocked down before it got to frame. 

As IUPUI continued to press to get even, Xavier took advantage late as Kauppinen snuck a shot past Morefield in the 83rd minute. Long service to the IUPUI six-yard box helped get Kauppinen free along the right side and the Xavier attacker ultimately angled a shot just past Morefield. 

IUPUI had late game attempts from both Rayan Choukri and Chris Workman and outshot Xavier 5-4 after halftime. 

Barnett was particularly pleased with his attacking group in the second half that included Tylin Broaders, Carson Shrader and Kirezi Freddy. 

"Tylin for sure has to be recognized for his play. His work and willingness to pressure and get a touch on some balls was definitely impressive," Barnett said. "Carson came in and did well and played well alongside guys like Freddy and Mandela and Finnegan and Chris Workman. All those guys worked their tails off."

The defensive work was keyed by Goede and Tommy Patacca in the middle of the formation. 

"Tommy and Goede had a tough job of dealing with two monster forwards that Xavier brings to the table and they didn't really have any missteps between them," Barnett said. 

The Musketeers finished with an 11-6 shot attempt advantage while IUPUI closed with a 3-2 margin in corner kicks. Morefield, making his first start of the year, made one stop. 

IUPUI will continue a stretch of three straight road games to start the year when the Jaguars take on Western Illinois in Macomb on Friday, Sept. 3 at 6:00 p.m..