INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI men's soccer team will host No. 6 seed Detroit Mercy in the opening round of the 2022 #HLMSOC Championships on Sunday (Nov. 6) at the on-campus Michael A. Carroll Stadium at 1:00 p.m. Tickets for Sunday's game will be $5 for adults and $2 for kids on-site with cash and card being accepted. Students from Horizon League institutions are admitted for FREE with a valid university ID. In addition, Sunday's contest will be aired on ESPN+ as Jonathan Matthes (pxp) is on the call.  

IUPUI earned a spot in the Horizon League Tournament for the first time since 2018 and will serve as the No. 3 seed, hosting a home tourney game for the first time since hosting the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament back in 2007. 

Head coach Sid van Druenen's team closed the regular season at 5-6-6 overall and 4-2-3 in Horizon League play. Offensively, the Jaguars have been strong all season long, largely behind the trio of Josemir Gomez (9 goals, 3 assists), Lukas Hackaa (6 goals, 7 assists) and Logan Finnegan (5 goals, 4 assists). IUPUI finished the regular season third in the league in goals scored (27) and second in shot attempts (229). Gomez, a redshirt freshman, leads the league in goals scored (9) and points (21) while Hackaa is tied for second in the league in assists (7) and points (19).

Defensively, IUPUI has been more of a work in progress, allowing 1.88 goals per game with a .695 save percentage. The Jaguars have rotated a collection of veterans and rookies along the back line as freshmen Kade Tepe (1,336) and Dominic Breidenbach (1,272) pace the squad in minutes played. Redshirt junior Lucas Morefield is the team's primary goalkeeper, having posted a 1.79 GAA with 61 saves in 14 starts. 

POSTSEASON AWARDS
Hussain, Morefield and Miller were also voted to the Horizon League's All-Academic Team.

SCOUTING DETROIT MERCY
Detroit Mercy closed the regular season at 4-6-6 overall and 1-5-4 in 10 road matches. The Titans' lone road victory of the year was a 2-0 win at Milwaukee on Oct. 15. Samory Powder leads the Titans in goals (5), assists (7), points (17), shots (35) and shots on goal (15). Ryan Pierson has four goals and four others have two tallies on the year. In goal, Jonathan Kliewer has played all 1,440 minutes with a 1.75 goals against average and two shutouts on the season. 

INSIDE THE SERIES
IUPUI is just 3-9-4 in 16 contests against Detroit Mercy and 3-4-1 in eight meetings in Indianapolis. The two teams played to a 0-0 draw earlier this season in Detroit (box score) as both teams attempted 11 shots in the tie. The draw snapped IUPUI's three-game losing skid to the Titans. IUPUI's last win over Detroit Mercy was on Sept. 8, 2018, when the Jaguars won 1-0 in Indianapolis. 

UP NEXT
With a win, IUPUI would face No. 2 Wright State in the Horizon League Tournament Semifinals in Cleveland on Thursday, Nov. 10.