Aug. 30, 2008

Recap written by Colorado Christian Sports Information

August 30, 2008--The Upper Iowa Peacocks drilled two goals in the final 14 minutes to steal a 2-1 victory over the CCU men's soccer team Saturday afternoon in the 2008 regular season opener in Lakewood, Colorado. The win marked the first time that the men's soccer program has defeated a Division II opponent.

CCU drew first blood when sophomore Riley Winham nailed the first goal of the afternoon thanks to a Taylor Shade assist on a breakaway with 22:10 on the clock.

The Cougars controlled the tempo for the majority of the first half, and looked to be rolling to their first win of the season, when Upper Iowa unleashed for two unanswered scores late in the final period.

Tony Varnava got things rolling for Upper Iowa at the 76:18 mark, hammering a goal off a breakaway to bring the guests to within striking distance at 1-1.

Just when overtime looked to be in the works, Steve Kluck zipped the game winning header past Cougar keeper Alex Ambrose with only three minutes to play.

The Cougars had a handful of chances with time running down, but failed to convert some decent looks as Upper Iowa escaped with their first win of the season.

Ambrose collected 10 saves in the Cougar loss, while Peacock net minder Andy Youde posted three on the afternoon.

UIU racked up 18 shots to CCU's 10, including a 12-4 shots on goal advantage.

Both the Upper Iowa men's and women's soccer teams will be playing their home openers next Wednesday, Sept. 3, at Pattison Field in Fayette. The Peacocks will host the Mustangs of Mount Mercy with the women's game set for 3 p.m. and the men's for 5 p.m.