ROCHESTER, Mich. - The IU Indianapolis men's soccer team rallied with a pair of goals in the final 17 minutes to collect a 2-1 come-from-behind road win at Oakland in the regular season finale on Tuesday (Nov. 4). Junior defender Nikolai Zapolskikh netted the equalizer in the 74th minute before sophomore Bali Esquivel netted the game-winner in the 88th minute. 

After being outshot by a 13-0 margin in the opening half, the Jaguars turned the tables in the second half to rally to victory. 

"I think we played very uninspired in the first half but the response in the second half was excellent," head coach Sid van Druenen said. "This group has worked hard all season, played some really good soccer and I am happy we were able to finish the season with a win."

IU Indy (6-8-3, 3-5-1 HL) did well to only trail 1-0 at the break, thanks in large part to some strong goalkeeping from senior Cameron Maung-Maung. The Golden Grizzlies (3-8-6, 3-3-3 HL) snuck in the game's first goal in the 27th minute when Nour Aoude got a shot past Maung-Maung off an assist from Noah Roka. Oakland closed the first half with an emphatic 75 percent of the possession as the Jaguars never seriously threatened. 

However, the second half was a different story as the IU Indy attack was aided by a stiff wind at its back. 

Sophomore Stan Klaver loosened up the OU defense with a couple testers from distance before the Jags finally broke through in the 74th minute. Sophomore Tyson Aschliman played service from the left side to Herrera, who flicked to Nathaniel Isom deep in Oakland territory. Isom laid a pass off to Zapolskikh, who powered in his first goal of the season from point blank range. 

With Oakland needing a win to earn an opportunity to host an upcoming Horizon League Tournament match, the Jaguars preyed on the hosts aggressiveness in the final minutes. Things got more advantagous when the Jags went up a man in the 83rd minute after Oakland's Miller Knestrict was sent off with a straight red card for a hit on Klaver along the endline. 

The Jaguars ultimately capped off an attacking sequence with just under three minutes to play, leading to Esquivel's game-winner. Isom played a ball to Zapolskikh in behind the Oakland defense and the Temple transfer slid a pass to Esquivel, who redirected the game-winner. 

Declan Finnegan made just one save in his 45 minutes of work earned the win while Maung-Maung made four saves in the opening 45. 

Oakland finished with a 16-8 shot margin and 6-2 edge in corner kicks, but the Jaguars made the most of their four shots on frame.