INDIANAPOLIS - The IU Indianapolis men's soccer team will continue its three-game homestand on Saturday (Sept. 19) as the Jaguars host Northern Kentucky (0-5-1, 0-2 HL) at Michael A. Carroll Stadium for a 5:00 p.m. kick. Saturday's game will serve as the backend of a soccer doubleheader as part of Alumni Day. The Jaguars (3-3, 0-2 HL) are looking to stop a two-game skid on the heels of a three-game non-conference winning streak. 

Head coach Keegan Boom's squad opened Horizon League play with a 2-0 road loss at Northern Illinois and followed with a 2-1 home defeat to Purdue Fort Wayne last Saturday. The Jags fell behind early on in the contest, but drew even on rookie Thomas Weinrich's free kick in the 23rd minute. However, the visiting Mastodons tallied the game-winner in the 37th minute to cap the day's scoring. IU Indy and NKU are two of three Horizon League programs entering play winless in league play alongside Detroit Mercy. 

For the year, the Jaguars have been outscored 6-5 in six games, but been blanked just one time. Senior Jose Antonio Herrera has a team-high three goals, including two game-winners, while Weinrich has scored a pair of goals. Herrera has a team-high 12 shot attempts and five shots on goal. Freshman Santiago Sanchez has the team's lone assist as four of the team's five goals have come on restarts. In goal, rookie Peter Field has been brilliant, recording three shutouts and a 1.00 goals against average and 31 saves with an .838 save percentage. 

Senior Jago Thompson-Roberts is tops among the team's field players in minutes played with 523, helping anchor the team's defensive third. However, the Jaguars' back line was depleted in the contest with Purdue Fort Wayne as senior Noah Kummrow was sidelined and both Weinrich and junior back Luke Gonda were sent off with red cards. Thompson-Roberts also exited the game against the Mastodons, leaving Boom with a makeshift back line to close the contest. 

QUOTABLE
"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. 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," head coach Keegan Boom said following the 2-1 home loss to Purdue Fort Wayne on Sept. 12. 

KNOW YOUR FOE
Northern Kentucky is 0-5-1 and 0-2 to start Horizon League play with losses at Green Bay (3-1) and at home to Milwaukee (1-0). The Norse's lone positive result of the season was a 2-2 draw against Southern Indiana back on Aug. 24. NKU has been outscored 14-4 on the season and shutout three different times. Carlos Merce leads NKU with a pair of goals while Diego Hoenderkamp has a team-high two assists. In goal, Caleb Pearson has started five of six matches and has a 2.60 goals against average and 25 saves. 

SERIES HISTORY
IU Indy is 7-6-3 overall against Northern Kentucky and 5-2-1 in eight matchups in Indianapolis. The Jaguars had won three-in-a-row in the series before losing 2-0 on the road to the Norse last season.  

UP NEXT
The Jags will close out the three-game homestand on Tuesday (Sept. 22) when they host Western Illinois in non-conference play at Carroll Stadium. The game will kickoff at 6:00 p.m. that evening.