The match began with both teams looking well balanced in the midfield. The Norse opened up the Jaguars' defense but they failed to create any real chances during the first half. The Norse ended up outshooting IUPUI ,7-3, in the first half but it was the Jaguars that would make the most of their opportunities. In the 12th minute, Clint Hoffar took a long throw in for IUPUI and Uriel Macias headed the ball past A.J. Fleakand into the goal. The Jaguars took the early lead and never looked back.
 
The Norse did have a few opportunities to find an equalizer in the opening forty-five minutes. Immediately after conceding, NKU's Diego Martinez received a pass from Cian McDonaldinside the penalty area. He settled the pass and struck the ball at goal but the shot sailed high of the target. McDonald got a chance roughly ten minutes later when he took a powerful shot from 25-yards out but his chance went wide of goal. Of NKU's seven first-half shots, not one of them were on target.
 
"We gave up a silly goal and it put us on our heels," said head coach John Basalyga. "We had to chase the game the rest of the time. We got into a pretty good rhythm after giving up the goal but we just could gather up enough offense."
 
The second half began and the Norse looked to crank up the pressure in an attempt to find an equalizer. Martinez crossed a ball in the box and found Caleb Eastham unmarked. Eastham headed the ball at goal but it hit the crossbar, deflecting over goal.
 
Just as the Norse were beginning to establish some consistent offensive movement; the Jaguars extended their lead. In the 67th minute, Joshua Ayala played a ball in to Emmanuel Usen. Usen took one touch to create space from the Norse defense and struck a world-class shot into the left upper ninety. Fleak was helpless to attempt to make the save and IUPUI took the 2-0 lead.
 
"We are still searching for who we are going to send out there to get the right offensive pressure," said Basalyga. "We need to get the right rhythm together to take some of the pressure off our defense."
 
The Norse could not manage to string anything together in the last twenty minutes of the match and it ended in a 2-0 defeat. It would be the second time in three years that NKU would lose at IUPUI and the third straight year they were held without a goal against the Jaguars.
 
NKU falls to 1-2-3 overall and will face Wright State on Tuesday Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. at the NKU Soccer Complex. Live stats and video for the Wright State game will be available on nkunorse.com and live updates will also be sent out via Twitter under @NKUNorseGameDay. While on social media, follow NKUNorseMSOC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.