Men's Soccer – The Week Ahead….
 
THE SCHEDULE…
 
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY at UPPER IOWA – FRIDAY – 10/19/12
Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association Match
Pattison Field – Fayette, Iowa – 2 p.m.
Live Stats
Video Webcast
 
LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY at UPPER IOWA – SUNDAY – 10/21/12
Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association Match
Pattison Field – Fayette, Iowa – 2 p.m.
Live Stats
Video Webcast

THE SERIES… This will be the second time in the history of the Upper Iowa program that the Peacocks will face the Southwest Baptist Bearcats. UIU stole a 3-2 victory late over the Bearcats in Missouri back on September 20th. Senior Alan Martinez had the game-winning goal in the 78th minute.  
This will also be the second time this season that the Peacocks will play the Lions of Lindenwood University. Back on September 22nd, UIU fell 1-0 to the Lions in Missouri.

THE MATCHUP… SBU (2-10-1, 0-6-1) enters Thursday’s matchup with the Peacocks having totaled just 12 goals this season, four of which have come from junior forward Kaleb Romero. Karl Dupont leads the team with four assists this year and is second on the team with three goals. The Bearcats have struggled in league play in 2012 as they are still looking to get their first conference victory in the MIAA. On paper, the problem seems to be a slow starting offense. Having totaled just one goal in the first half of play this season, SBU falls behind early and cannot catch up. Both Gavin Bryant and Austin Haywood rotate in goal for the Bearcats and have 80 combined saves – most in the MIAA.   
The exact opposite appears to be true for Lindenwood University (8-2-3, 5-0-2). The Lions currently hold the top spot in the MIAA conference with an undefeated record in league play. Although Lindenwood has scored 20 goals on offense this year, the Lions have won with defense. They have allowed only nine goals through 14 matches and have seven total shutouts. Andre Hayne and Azeem Razwan lead the Lions in scoring with three goals apiece. Fermin Hughes has started every match for Lindenwood in goal and has accumulated 38 saves.
 
BACK TO WINNING WAYS … After going 2-1 last week at home, the Upper Iowa Peacocks would like to get back to their winning ways this week in conference play. The Peacocks dropped a non-conference match to visiting Clarke University on Wednesday afternoon, 3-1, but did earn an early lead in that match. UIU hopes to repeat a performance they had earlier in the year against SBU in Missouri. The Peacocks won that match 3-2.

FORECAST CALLS FOR RAIN… It should be a wet and slippery Pattison field on Friday afternoon. The forecast calls for rain, so bring your umbrellas and jackets. 

FIERCE FRESHMEN… UIU has its veteran leaders, but the Peacocks have received a tremendous amount of help from their freshman class in 2012. It's not a big surprise UIU is leaning on its underclassmen after graduating ten seniors from last year's squad, but a few candidates have really stepped up for the Peacocks recently. Elgin, Illinois native Jason Bishop   f f  and Sao Paulo, Brazil native Rafael Pedroso have both recorded three goals this season for UIU, and are tied for the lead in that category. But this past week, another freshman was counted on in crunch time. Jared Newman has shined in practice for UIU, but has just started to see playing time on the field. His impact was felt immediately as he scored the game-winning goal over Southern Nazarene on Thursday and added his second goal of the season in the 11th minute of the Peaocks match against Fort Hays State. It should be interesting to see how these freshmen can grow over time and produce for the Peacocks in 2013.

GETTING YOUR BELL RUNG… Peacock goalkeeper Jordan Bell has had his highs and lows for the 2012 season, but when at his best, Bell has proven he can be impenetrable.  At 6-foot-1, Bell's length has helped him earn a total of 96 saves this year. Bell, who posted his third shutout of 2012 last week, is second in the MIAA with a 6.44 saves per match average and is third with a .753 save percentage. Those numbers become more impressive when you factor in an all-freshman backline for the Peacocks. 
 
COACH'S CORNER... Head coach Brian Bahl earned his 45th victory at helm of the Upper Iowa men’s soccer team last Thursday against Southern Nazarene University. Bahl, who was hired before the 2007 season, has a 1-0 record against the Bearcats and a 0-1 record against the Lions.
 
HOME STRETCH… UIU is in its final home stretch for the 2012 season. The Peacocks will entertain Southwest Baptist on Friday afternoon before facing Lindenwood University Sunday. UIU will end the regular season on the road as they battle the Bulldogs of Truman State on October 26th in Kirksville, Missouri.

DON’T FORGET... Tune in this week as both MIAA matches will be available to watch and listen online. Click here to view the matches. The Peacock Pregame will begin roughly 15 minutes before each match.