DETROIT - The IU Indianapolis women's soccer team delivered a 2-0 road win on Saturday (Oct. 4), rolling past Detroit Mercy at Titan Field. Graduate transfer Sarah Bambrick earned the clean sheet in goal while senior Sarah Henson and redshirt sophomore Lilly Ma tallied goals. Henson also collected an assist on Ma's goal, playing a role in both scores. 

"It doesn't matter the sport, winning on the road is really hard. And then when you add the fact that it's a league match, it makes it increasingly difficult," head coach Angela Berry White said. "I'm so proud of our defensive effort today, both our team defense and our keeper. We got that early goal and gained more confidence. I loved our effort in the second half, being where you had to be to get the second goal. 

"I've said it a million times, our goal is to get better with each practice and each match and we're doing just that. We'll be looking to bring some of our road success finally home this Thursday. I know the upperclassmen are happy because we lost to these guys last year, so there's always that revenge feeling."

The Jaguars (3-8-1, 2-2 HL) were the aggressors for the bulk of the day, finishing with a 14-7 shot advantage and 12-4 margin in shots on goal. It was Henson who found the game-winner in the 23rd minute, thanks to assists from JoJo Murphy and Caroline Kelley. Murphy sent a set piece to Kelley at the top of the box and the junior attacker put a crafty attempt on frame. UDM (2-10-1, 0-4-1 HL) keeper Eva Hill knocked it down, but Henson tapped the rebound into the open net for her fourth career goal and first since November 2023. 

Bambrick kept things square with a gorgeous kick save in the 27th minute, thwarting Jada Rivera's breakaway opportunity. In the 37th minute, Bambrick made an initial stop of a Leila Lanier attempt, poking the shot off the post before it was cleared off the back line by a teammate. 

While Bambrick and the Jaguar defense continued to keep things clean, the offense added insurance in the 67th minute, beginning with a long Henson run. Junior Lindsey Castillo spotted Henson on a long run, but Hill denied Henson the scoring chance with a sliding deflection off her line. The rebound popped to Ma, who slotted home a shot from 15 yards out for her first goal of the season. 

Junior Caroline Kelley fired a team-high four shots while freshman Anika Guenther attempted three in just 30 minutes off the bench. Both Henson and Murphy closed with two shots apiece. Amazingly, Henson and Ma became the 11th and 12th different Jaguars to score a goal this season. 

"We had a few more first time goal scorers today," White said. "It really doesn't matter who scores. This group of young ladies just wants to win!"

"Today's win means a lot to us. Getting points on the road is great and we're finally starting to figure each other's rhythm out," Henson said. "I'm excited to see how the rest of conference goes."

Bambrick made three saves in the victory and earned her first shutout of the season. In doing so, she lowered her goals against average to just 1.46 on the season. 

The Jaguars will return to action on Thursday, Oct. 9 when they host Robert Morris at Michael A. Carroll Stadium at 7:00 p.m. That contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.