CLEVELAND - The IUPUI men's soccer team put up an impressive 3-0 victory over No. 2 Wright State in the second semifinal of the 2022 #HLMSOC Championships on Thursday night (Nov. 10), advancing to play top-seeded Cleveland State on Saturday for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Redshirt junior Lucas Morefield registered a second straight shutout in postseason play and junior midfielder Lukas Hackaa powered the offense with a goal and two assists in the victory. Senior defender Caleb Hussain delivered the game-winner in the game's 40th minute when he rifled a header past Wright State keeper Guilherme Pipolo for his first career score. 

Hackaa provided insurance in the 60th minute and Logan Finnegan authored the finisher in the 75th minute. 

"I think it took us a little bit - the intensity, the weight on the game of it being a semifinal is new to everybody in this program," head coach Sid van Druenen said. "We got through it the first 10, 12 minutes and Wright State brought the intensity and I don't think we were where we had to be. Luckily, we responded really well, we evened it out and stuck to the gameplan.

"We caught them in transition two times and scored a great header on a corner kick going into halftime." 

Wright State (4-7-6) had the better run of play in the early stages of the match, having one shot attempt denied by the post and another ricochet off the crossbar. IUPUI got a clean look in the 18th minute when Josemir Gomez played a gorgeous ball to Finnegan, but the resulting shot attempt was angled just wide of target. 

IUPUI (7-6-6) went in front late in the first half when Hussain came barrelling forward to get on the business end of a Hackaa corner kick. Hussain redirected the service past Pipolo for his first-ever score, coming in his 35th career appearance. 

The good feeling turned to great after IUPUI weathered an early barrage from WSU, the Jaguars got loose for an insurance tally. Medard Mikobi shifted a pass to Hackaa on the right side and the first team all-leaguer did his work from there, dekeing a defender before sliding a composed strike inside the far post for his eighth score of the season. Hackaa setup Finnegan's score in the 75th minute, sending a long ball over the top to his fellow attacker. Finnegan maneuvered past the WSU goalkeeper and angled a shot into an empty net for his sixth score of the season. 

Morefield was brilliant in goal, facing 22 shots and making six saves for his second straight shutout in the league tournament. Hussain and freshman Brady Horn played all 90 minutes in front of him, as did Mikobi and freshman Kade Tepe in the midfield. 

Hackaa fired off a team-high four shots while IUPUI was held to three shots on goal, all of which found the back of the net. 

"It's a great time to be a Jag," van Druenen said. "A clean sheet, three goals and a 3-0 win in a Horizon League tournament game - that's massive."

The win puts IUPUI in a league championship game for the first time since 2007 when the Jaguars hosted Oakland University in The Summit League title game at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis, ultimately falling 2-0. 

IUPUI will take on host Cleveland State at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 12) on ESPN+ as Scott Agness (pxp) will describe the action.