INDIANAPOLIS - The IU Indianapolis men's soccer team stubbed its toe to in-state foe Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday (Sept. 12), falling to the visiting Mastodons 2-1 at Carroll Stadium. The Jaguars were outshot by a 22-3 margin and had two players sent off with red cards in the second half, yet still had opportunities to salvage a draw from an otherwise dreary performance.
"It's a learning moment. It's our first conference home game. There's moments that we kind of had that we're better on," head coach
Keegan Boom said. "The next step for us is we've got to take this - we've gotta take it on the chin. We've got to learn from it. We've gotta go back to training on Monday and we've got to be better next week."
IU Indy (3-3, 0-2 HL) nearly scratched in the game's opening 15 seconds, seemingly mystifying the guests with a quick passing combination that resulted in a clean look for
Nathaniel Isom in close. It would be the first of only three shot attempts as Purdue Fort Wayne held possession for nearly 60 percent of the contest.
Purdue Fort Wayne (3-2, 1-0 HL) got the game's first goal in the 14th minute from Brandon Razo, only to see IU Indy's
Thomas Weinrich equalize on a free kick in the 23rd minute. Weinrich drilled a restart from 25 yards out off the mitts of Purdue Fort Wayne keeper Seb Habibi, just over the endline for his second score of the season.
However, the guests went ahead for good in the 37th minute when Daven Arias angled a shot just inside the far post for the game-winner.
The Jaguars committed more numbers to the attack in the second half, which resulted in increased possession in the midfield for extended stretches. However, IU Indy rarely seriously threatened while the Mastodons were frequently in the attacking third with opportunities. An already tall task continued to get tougher in the second half as
Luke Gonda was sent off with a red card in the 74th minute and Weinrich followed suit in the 82nd minute.
The Jaguars were saddled with 23 fouls while the guests were whistled just eight times.
IU Indy's lone second half shot attempt was a Weinrich drive in the 82nd minute that was equal parts cross and shot from the right flank.
Freshman
Peter Field finished with six saves in the loss.
The Jaguars will remain at home to host Northern Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 5:00 p.m. as part of an Alumni Day doubleheader at Carroll Stadium.
