INDIANAPOLIS – In the final tune up before the regular season opener, the men's soccer team fought back after being a goal down to take down Evansville, 2-1, on a scorching Sunday afternoon.

"We faced some adversity in the first half. The heat was taking its toll on the guys, and we let them set the tempo," stated assistant coach Arturo Rodriguez following the match. "We rallied in the second half and had some young guys step up and add energy and juice. We were able to take advantage of their mistakes, ultimately leading to the first goal, giving us some life."

The Purple Aces opened the scoring in the 22^nd minute from the penalty spot. After a slight hesitation sent Lucas Morefield diving to his left, Nacho Diaz Barragan passed the ball down the middle to give his team the lead.

An outstanding individual effort by Josemir Gomez knotted the match at one in the 71^st minute. The forward received the ball just outside the 18-yard box, making two defenders miss before side-stepping the goalkeeper and tapping the ball into the back of the net.

Gomez secured his brace just four minutes later, finding the back of the net off a superb pass from Spencer Holland.

"When you get the opportunity to get your name on the score sheet you have to take it," exclaimed Gomez. "The subs came in and brought the energy and the second half was a lot better for us."

The Jags begin the 2023 regular season campaign at home against Southern Indiana on Thursday (Aug. 24) with kick-off set for 8 p.m. ET.

"As you saw today, it took us a while to gel in the first half, so building that chemistry a little more and starting off on the front foot and being ready to go as soon as the whistle blows will set the tempo for us moving forward," added Rodriguez. "It's going to take a little bit of time and will not be overnight success. The regular season is here, but we want to make sure we are hitting our peak when conference comes around."