INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI women's soccer team's high level of play proved to be too strong for Detroit Mercy as the Jaguars pulled a 3-0 upset over the Horizon League's top-ranked team on Sunday (Oct. 9) at Michael A. Carroll Soccer Stadium. Carlie Werner, Cassie Rodriguez and Sarah Henson recorded goals for the Jaguars while freshman Cailynn Junk and a relentless back line allowed IUPUI to achieve its eighth shutout of the year. 
 
"The team coming in, they were in first place and we knew we had to come to play to get the win on our home field," head coach Chris Johnson said, who was recognized on Sunday for 20 years as the women's soccer head coach. "I was very happy with the defense, I thought they played really well. Overall, I was really happy with how things went."
 
In the first half alone, IUPUI's defense held the Titans to just two shots on goal combined with Junk's two saves, making the Jaguars difficult to beat. Meanwhile, IUPUI's offense made quick work of Detroit Mercy's defense from the moment of kickoff with Werner scoring her second goal of the season in the fourth minute thanks to an assist from Maya Turner, putting IUPUI up 1-0. Following Werner's goal, Detroit Mercy secured some momentum offensively, gaining possession 58 percent of the time throughout the first half versus IUPUI's 42 percent. 
 
Rodriguez put a halt to the Titan's force with an assist from Emma Antoine, notching her first career regular season goal in the lower left corner of the net in the 43rd minute giving IUPUI a 2-0 advantage. 
 
"We've had quite a few games this year where we've played well and not been able to put the ball in the back of the net," said Johnson. "So (Werner) getting that goal early really set the tone and Emma Antoine hustling down to play that ball and Cassie running down with her. That's the thing that the team has done a great job of working hard for each other and it's starting to pay off for us really."
 
Rolling into the second half, IUPUI kicked into high gear with a controlling 51 percent possession total while holding the Titans to only three shots. In the 77th minute of the game, Maya Lacognato's assist allowed Sarah Henson to seal the deal for the Jaguars, collecting her first career goal and giving IUPUI a 3-0 lead.
 
Sunday's impressive victory is a testament to the team's resilience after experiencing a five-game streak of matchups resulting in either a loss or a tie. 
 
"We're better than what we've been showing," said Werner. "We need to just come out there today and knock this team off the top because this is the first step in the right direction to getting into the tournament. With the help of them (teammates), and just the high energy before the game, that's kind of put it all together today."
 
IUPUI will continue towards the back end of Horizon League regular season competition on Thursday (Oct. 13) when the Jaguars travel to face-off against UW Green Bay at 5 p.m.