INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team fell to IUPUI, 2-0, on Wednesday night at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. Uriel Macias scored in the 12th and 83rd minutes to lift the Jaguars past the Huskies on a rainy night in Indiana. 

NIU (1-5-2) had the first opportunities of the contest as the Huskies earned a trio of corner kicks inside the opening 11 minutes. Junior Luke Read (Ilford, England/Barking Abbey School) was able to get his head to the third of the corners but was unable to direct his header toward goal. 

IUPUI (1-7) struck first as Macias gave the Jaguars a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute. Joshua Ayala took a free kick from just inside midfield and Macias got himself in behind the Huskie defense chested the ball past junior Drew Donnally (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) from eight yards to give IUPUI the early lead. 

Donnally was called into action in the 26th minute as Macias got a flick on a ball from outside the box that deflected it toward goal and the Huskie goalkeeper had to be alert to make the diving stop. 

In the 38th minute, Macias looked for his second goal as he tried to chip Donnally off a long ball from midfield. Donnally was forced to parry Macias' chip over the bar for a Jaguar corner kick. Off the corner, Cristian Soto had a chance to double the lead for IUPUI with a shot that was headed for goal until it was cleared off the line by junior Jerome Roche (Salon-de-Provence, France/Gardner-Webb). 

The Huskies earned a pair of corner kicks in the final minute of the opening half but were unable to test IUPUI goalkeeper Josh Gray as the Jaguars took a 1-0 lead into halftime. 

NIU had its best chance of the night in the 58th minute as a cross from sophomore Noe Ochoa (Pasadena, Texas/Pasadena Memorial) came across the box to sophomore Nicholas Haas (Waukegan, Ill./Warren Township) who found senior Albert Levett (Southend-on-Sea, England/Belfairs High) at the top of the six-yard box. Levett's shot was blocked away by Gray and the Jaguar defense as IUPUI maintained its one-goal advantage. 

IUPUI's first chance of the season half came in the 68th minute as Ben Thornton was the first to reach a cross from the left at the back post. Thornton's flick went just wide of the post to the left of Donnally.

A turnover along the NIU backline led to a chance for Pedro Valladao for IUPUI. After the Jaguars dispossessed the Huskies, the ball came to Valladao at the top of the box for a shot that was comfortably held by Donnally. 

IUPUI doubled its advantage in the 83rd minute as Macias scored his second of the night. Macias caught Donnally off his line and chipped a shot over the Huskie goalkeeper from 35 yards out to give the Jaguars a 2-0 lead. 

With just over a minute to play, junior Giovanni Garica (Chicago, Ill./Elk Grove) had a chance to give the Huskies a lifeline but his shot just skimmed off the crossbar as IUPUI claimed the 2-0 victory. 

The Huskies will return home to DeKalb on Tuesday, Oct. 4, when the Huskies host local rival UIC at 7 p.m., at the NIU Soccer Complex.