INDIANAPOLIS – Sebastian Weitlaner's goal at 56:29 in the second half gave Maryville men's soccer a 1-0 victory over the fifth-ranked University of Indianapolis on a rainy Sunday afternoon. The Saints opened conference play with an upset win over their Great Lakes Valley Conference counterpart, giving them their second consecutive win against the Greyhounds.
 
The offensive attack began early for the visitors as Cedric Sengl fired the game's first shot at 2:59 followed nine seconds later by an attempt from Mirza Hasecic.
 
A physical first half continued without another shot attempt until freshman Sebastian Weitlaner had a high shot saved by Grehounds goalkeeper Joey Schrand at 29:28. Alberto Di Pierri tried again for the Saints three minutes later but missed off to the right to keep the game scoreless. The two teams went into halftime deadlocked a zero.
 
After outshooting UIndy 4-0 in the first half, Maryville went back to work in the second. Schrand denied Tim Smith at 52:06 and Hasecic had another attempt sail over the net. Moments later, Smith moved up the near side and had a cross blocked. Luckily for the Saints, Weitlaner was streaking up the far side and sent the loose ball past the Indianapolis goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.
 
A firm backline led by defenseman Andrew Schulz and a solid outing from Albert Escuin in goal kept UIndy off the board for the remainder of the game, giving the Saints their first win in 2022 and an upset over the fifth-ranked Greyhounds. Escuin, a senior from Torrent, Valencia, Spain, picked up a save and earned a shutout for his first victory as a Saint.
 
"I was proud of the intensity at which our guys played at today," said Head Men's Soccer Coach David Korn. "The conditions were a challenge at times and Indy is a very good team. To see our guys adapt to the match was encouraging. I'm excited to see how we build on this performance."
 
Conference play continues for Maryville men's soccer in a home match on Friday, Sept. 16 against the University of Illinois Springfield. The kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.