INDIANAPOLIS – Western Illinois took an early lead but was unable to hold off IUPUI in its 2010 Summit League opener, falling to the Jaguars by a 2-1 score on Saturday, Sept. 25.

The Fighting Leathernecks (2-4-2, 0-1 Summit) struck first when Jonathan Sandoval found the back of the net with a point-blank header in the 32nd minute for his first goal of the season. Alexis Dominguez was credited with the assist on the play.

Western's lead would be short-lived as the Jaguars (4-4, 1-0 Summit) drew even at 1-1 when Jeff Keyler scored the equalizer in the 38th minute. IUPUI would take the lead for good on Ryan Robinson's goal in the 44th minute to make the final 2-1.

"We didn't play particularly well on the back line today," said head coach Dr. Eric Johnson. "I though both goals were really preventable but we just got outworked by a very organized opponent."

The Leathernecks outshot the Jaguars by a 15 to eight margin, but were able to put just three shots on target against Jaguar goalkeeper Tyler Keever, the reigning Summit League Defensive Player of the Week.

"We've got to put more balls on frame," said Johnson. "We'll need to work on fine-tuning our attack and playing with more energy in order to become a more dangerous offensive team."

Western's best chance to tie the match came in the 50th minute, but Keever turned away a shot by Dominguez to preserve the win.

"We'll need to work on playing better on the road," Johnson said. "We just need to keep our focus away from home and defend better. We struggled in that area today and got beat on some counterattacks."

The Leathernecks will return to action on Tuesday at Drake in a rematch of last year's first-round NCAA Tournament match. Western will play its next three matches on the road before returning home on Oct. 9.