CARMEL, Ind. – In the penultimate match of the 2023 regular season, the IUPUI men's soccer team came back from a goal down to claim a 1-1 draw against Milwaukee Saturday (Oct. 28) afternoon at Carmel High School's Murray Stadium.
IUPUI (6-6-4, 4-2-2 HL) came out on the front foot in the opening minutes of play, controlling possession and creating early scoring opportunities. However, the tides shifted after the first ten minutes, with the visitors settling into the game.
Milwaukee (4-8-4, 2-4-2 HL) looked poised to take an early lead after the referee pointed to the spot following a foul just inside the 18. Raul Medina picked his spot well, but
Lucas Morefield strong right hand forced the ball wide to keep the game all square. Despite having the chance from the spot and maintaining the lion's share of possession in the first 45, the teams went into the break in a deadlock.
The beginning of the second half looked much like the first, with the Panthers looking like the more dangerous team. The Jags backline, however, stood strong and turned away any offensive threats.
The score was tilted in Milwaukee's favor following a giveaway in the Jags' defensive third, putting the dangerous Asher Ozuzu in possession. The freshman found the breakthrough on a powerful strike after creating separation from the defender, his fourth tally of the campaign.
After going a goal down, the Jaguars desperately searched for an equalizer in the remaining half an hour of play. The team was unable to convert on two excellent scoring chances, with shots from
Logan Finnegan and
Jose Antonio Herrera sailing just wide. On the other side of the ball, Morefield was stalwart in goal, turning away a pair of scoring chances, including a shot from inside the box by goal scorer Ozuzu.
IUPUI found the tying goal in the 79th minute on a beautiful set piece.
Lukas Hackaa began the play with a pass to
Kenshiro Yamaguchi who sent in a superb cross to the middle of the box.
Josemir Gomez rose above his marker and headed the ball into the bottom corner.
Both teams worked hard in the final ten minutes to find the winner, but the clock hit zeros with the score still 1-1.
The Jaguars conclude the regular season in a crucial conference contest at Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday (Nov. 1), with kickoff set for 2:00 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ and has important postseason implications for both squads.
