Box Score Records
Upper Iowa (7-4-1, 3-1-1 MIAA) || Southern Nazarene (2-10, 1-3 MIAA)
Recap
BETHANY, OK. – In a span of six minutes,
Leandro Pena changed the entire complexion of the Upper Iowa Men's Soccer game with Southern Nazarene on Thursday afternoon.
Pena found the back of the net twice on two penalty kicks that gave UIU a 3-2 victory over the Crimson Storm on the road in 96 minutes of MIAA action. The win marks the team's second straight victory and third in the last four games, while giving UIU a 7-4-1 overall mark this year and a 3-1-1 start to their conference season.
The Peacocks fell behind early after the Crimson Storm earned a goal from Mario Caballeros. Blake Rodgers fed Caballeros on a rebound inside the Peacock box as NSU took a 1-0 lead off Caballeros' first goal of the season.
Pena helped shift the momentum back in UIU's favor with a corner kick in the 38th minute.
Andres Cuesta put the Peacocks on the board as he converted a header into points, tying the game at 1-1. The goal was Cuesta's fifth of the season.
After the teams headed into halftime all knotted up at a goal apiece, Pena went back to work late in the second half. The Peacocks pushed the tempo offensively and earned a foul in SNU's final third. Pena took the penalty kick and drilled it for his fourth goal of the season. His score gave UIU a 2-1 lead with less than eight minutes left, but SNU wasn't done just yet.
Josh Thomas tied the game for the Crimson Storm at 2-2 as again Rodgers found him with the assist off a ricocheted shot in Peacock territory.
The score sent the teams to overtime – the third time this season UIU has gone into extra time.
It didn't take long for Pena to close out the game and the victory. After a foul on the Crimson Storm defense, Pena took his position for another penalty kick opportunity. He didn't disappoint.
His score gave UIU a thrilling 3-2 victory on the road and placed him in a tie with Cuesta for most goals on the team with five.
The Peacocks had a total of 32 shots which marks the fifth time this year that the Peacocks have managed 24 or more shots in a single game. UIU's three goals also marked the eighth time in just 12 games this year that UIU has scored more than one goal in a single game.
Stat of the Game
With Pena earning two goals and Cuesta earning one on Thursday, the Peacocks now have two players with five goals or more on the same team for the first time since 2007. Both
Aaron Calkins and
Jared Newman are tied for second on the team with four goals each.
Sounding Off
Head Coach Jason Carlson After the Win...
On the Win… "It was a really big win for us because we're in the second half of conference play right now – at 3-1-1 we're starting to separate from the bottom half of the conference. As a coaching staff, we were a little hesitant about the play of the team coming off our week off, but the guys responded really well. SNU had a few chances that they made the most of, but besides that our defense was solid and we came ready to play."
On Cuesta's Performance… "He's been banged up, so it was good to see him come back and finish a goal for us early today. We have a lot of guys on this team that are dangerous in the final third and he's one of them."
On Rafael Pedroso... "I thought Pedroso did a great job playing a number of different positions for us today. He really stepped his game up."
On Pena's Peformance… "It was great to see Pena put two PK's away and get us the win in overtime. It's a credit to his play and hard work, but it's also a credit to the guys around him. They continue to work hard every day and the guys are unselfish – they make the runs and the passes needed to get a better look at the goal."
On Scoring Multiple Goals in a Game for the Eighth time this Year… "I think that says a lot about our ability to really commit to the gameplan and what we want to do in the final third. We have a number of guys who are dangerous with the ball, so when you're taking 32 total shots you're going to convert a handful of them. It's great to see our guys finding the net and getting past the goalkeeper."
Up Next
The Peacocks will stay on the road looking to extend their two-game win streak on Friday night against Fort Hays State (7-2-1, 2-1-1 MIAA) in Hays, Kansas. Kick-off for that game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Click here to read the preview for that game.
