INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis men's soccer team earned its first Horizon League victory Friday (Oct. 4) night, defeating Detroit Mercy, 1-0. Ethan Vermillion tallied the match's lone goal in the 36^th minute, and the Jaguar defense stood tall in the second half to hold onto the lead. After not facing a shot on goal in the opening '45, Mason Taylor turned away five shots in the second stanza for his second straight shutout. The keeper received lots of help from his defenders with a plethora of shots being blocked inside the box.

"This wasn't a must-win game, but it felt like it," declared the goal scorer following the match. "These three points put us up to four in the conference, it's huge. The last month has been a little rough for us (results-wise) and we are looking to turn that around, and today was the start of that."

The Titans (1-7-2, 0-2-2) looked to get off to a fast start, earning a corner kick in the opening minute of the game that led to a shot that was blocked inside the 18. Under a minute later, the visitors were awarded their second corner that was claimed by Taylor who came off his line to collect the ball—something he did often throughout the match.

"We knew that the throw ins would all be long throw ins, so we set up in a way where we want Mason to come out and get the ball," explained head coach Sid van Druenen. "If you're not comfortable coming off your line and being strong in the air you are going to struggle, and I think that is one of Mason's strengths."

After the early action from Detroit Mercy, IU Indy (4-4-2, 1-2-1) controlled the possession and created more quality scoring chances over the next 15 minutes. Jose Antonio Herrera and Gijs Velings both had shots end up just on the wrong side of the bar that kept the scoreline even. The visitors, however, added a couple chances of their own in the middle of the opening half, with a shot being blocked and another sailing high in the 23^rd minute.

The tally that broke the deadlock came with just under 10 minutes remaining in the half. The play began on the left side of the field with great hold-up play by Cameron Radeke. A cheeky back-heel pass gave Liam Zimmerman lots of space to run into, and he lobbed a terrific ball over the back line to the feet of Vermillion, who made no mistake with the finish. The junior's second mark of the year would end up being his first career game-winning goal.

Detroit Mercy were the aggressors to start the second period, putting the hosts on their heels early. The intensity only picked up as time went on. As the clock inched closer to full time, the visitors threw even more numbers forward in search of an equalizer, leaving themselves vulnerable at the back. IU Indy was unable to capitalize on a couple different chances towards the end of the match, leaving the door open for the visitors, who battled to the final whistle. Despite having multiple free kicks and a corner kick in the final two-plus minutes of play, the IU Indy defense stood tall to earn a crucial conference win.

"That's the part of the team that brings back the most returners, and it has been pretty steady," said van Druenen of his team's defense following a second straight clean sheet. "We knew (they would be connected), and they confirmed that again today."

The Jaguars have a quick turnaround, playing crosstown rivals Butler on Tuesday (Oct. 8) at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. with the match being streamed on ESPN+.