CLEVELAND - The IU Indianapolis men's soccer team fell on the road to Horizon League preseason favorite Cleveland State on Saturday night (Oct. 3) at Krenzler Field, 2-0. The Jaguars allowed a tally just more than a minute into the match and were forced to chase the game for much of the evening. The Vikings added insurance on a second half penalty kick in securing the win.
"This is a difficult road trip against a good Cleveland State team," head coach
Keegan Boom said. "We grew into the game today but we have to learn from our mistakes. The team is working hard, wants to win and continues to be bought in. We have a quick turnaround with another conference game against Robert Morris on Wednesday where we will have an opportunity to rebound."
CSU (4-3-3, 2-1-2 HL) controlled pace and possession throughout the evening, outshooting the Jaguars 22-5 overall and finishing with 68 percent of possession.
CSU freshman Domenic Ruggiero scored the game-winner in the second minute, rolling a shot just inside the right post from just inside the top of the 18, setup by a feed from Adrian Bravo-Sanchez. The Vikings threatened again in the 40th minute when Uzman Ramees had a shot ring off the right post and moments later,
Peter Field made a sprawling save of a Djordje Petrovic drive.
IU Indy's lone first half attempt was a
Christian Nielsen redirect on frame of a
Santiago Sanchez corner kick in the 25th minute.
The Jaguars committed more numbers to the attack to start the second half, but were unable to create much against CSU's superior ball control. The task got tougher in the 57th minute when an IU Indy defender was called for a foul at the edge of the 18. However, upon review, the foul was deemed inside the box, leading to a CSU penalty kick. Ramees converted the opportunity for his first score of the year and ultimately an insurmountable lead.
IU Indy got attempts from
Thomas Weinrich and Nielsen down the stretch, but neither were able to get anything past CSU goalkeeper Aleksandar Kolar. Field finished with three saves for the Jaguars and
Luke Kegerreis played a ball off the back line in the 63rd minute for a team save.
Weinrich finished with a team-high three shot attempts, putting two on target.
The Jaguars will return home to host RMU in Horizon League play on Wednesday (Oct. 7) at 3:00 p.m. at Michael A. Carroll Stadium.
