Box Score Records

Upper Iowa (7-5-1, 3-2-1 MIAA) || # 18 Fort Hays State (8-2-1, 3-1-1 MIAA)
 
Recap

A few mistakes and a sluggish start hurt the Upper Iowa Men's Soccer team on Friday night in Hays, Kansas. The Peacocks gave up two goals in the first 17 minutes of play to the nationally-ranked Tigers of Fort Hays State and despite a goal from Simone Lupi, UIU could not recover. The 2-1 loss marks just the second loss for UIU this year in MIAA play. 

The Tigers jumped on UIU early thanks to a goal from Michael Cole in just the fifth minute of action. A pair of FHSU forwards made the scoring play possible as Cole beat the UIU defense and found the back of the net for the first time this year. 

Down 1-0, the Peacocks then dug themselves into a deeper hole. UIU made another mistake which led to a goal from FHSU's Ricardo Yeverino. Daniel Peralta earned the assist on the play as he found Yeverino inside the box for the mismatch. 

Those two mistakes gave FHSU a 2-0 lead at halftime, but UIU would respond in the second period. 

The Peacocks made their adjustments and took advantage of their speed on the edge offensively, while holding FHSU scoreless throughout the entire second half.

In the 58th minute, Simone Lupi controlled the ball inside the Tiger's box and took a chance at the goal. It was his only shot of the day, but it found nylon. Lupi chipped the shot from the left side of the box and beat the FHSU goalkeeper for the score. It was his first goal of the season and it pulled UIU within striking distance, 2-1.

The Peacocks, who were outshot 15-6 in the match, managed just one final shot before the buzzer sounded. It went wide as UIU could not complete the comeback, falling to the Tigers, 2-1. 

The loss drops UIU to a respectable 7-5-1 overall this year and 3-2-1 in MIAA play. 
Stat of the Game
UIU is averaging 3.375 goals per game at home compared to just 1.25 goals per contest on the road this year.
Sounding Off

Head Coach Jason Carlson
On the Loss... "It's always disappointing when you lose, but going up against a nationally-ranked team, on the road, playing in back-to-back games, I thought the guys really fought back after getting down early. We just weren't able to get that second goal in the final half. We're disappointed - had we won this game we would have put ourselves in a really good spot in the conference. I think the guys were disappointed because they felt like they let one slip away, like they let a point go."

The Second Half... "There were some tactical changes that we made at halftime that made a big impact. I thought the entire team really stepped up in the final period, especially defense. The backline did a good job holding the scoreless in that second half and I was impressed with the play of Troy Parker and Hugo Alves."

On Simone Lupi's Goal... "He saw an opportunity and he took advantage of it. He pressured the keeper and it paid off. It was good to see him take that risk and be rewarded for it."

On The Two FHSU Goals… "I thought we made some silly mistakes that led to their goals, but that's a credit to them. They have some very talented players and they took advantage of our mistakes. There's a reason they are nationally ranked. I will say that when we left, I think the guys earned respect from the opposing team's coaching staff and players."

Heading into Senior Day on Monday Oct. 21… "We're going to have to recover and bounce back. It's senior day, obviously, so I think there's going to be some emotions that go with that. We're going to go out there and make the most of it with it being our last home game. We want to end our home schedule with a win against a very good Simpson team."
Up Next

UIU will honor its five seniors on Monday, October 21 as the Peacocks host Simpson College at 3 p.m. on Pattison Field.