Box Score
Records
Lindenwood (14-0-1, 6-0-1 MIAA) || Upper Iowa (8-6-2, 3-3-2 MIAA)
Recap
Short-handed and beat up, the Upper Iowa Men's Soccer team suffered a blow on Saturday, but still earned the result they were working toward. The Peacocks faced the fifth best team in the nation on Saturday in Lindenwood and were overmatched. UIU goalkeeper
Jordan Bell went down with an injury less than five minutes into the game and took some of the team's energy with him.
That loss of momentum haunted the Peacocks as LU sealed the 4-1 victory and their second consecutive conference championship at home. The loss drops UIU to 3-3-2 in MIAA play this year and 8-6-2 overall while giving the Lions a undefeated 14-0-1 overall record.
Despite the injury to their keeper, the Peacocks trailed by just one goal at halftime after Aris Nukic scratched the scoreboard for the Lions.
The Peacocks tried to change the tempo of the game, but it took a while to get going. LU added another score in the 46th minute of action before the Peacocks found the back of the net. In the 68th minute, UIU made the game interesting thanks to a goal from
Leandro Pena.
Aaron Calkins played a through-ball to
Jared Newman who was fouled inside LU's box to give Pena a shot at making it a 2-1 game.
He didn't disappoint. The sophomore from Lavras, Brazil connected with the back of the net for his team-high sixth goal of the season.
The Lions didn't wait long to answer though and they stole all the momentum right back.
Just two minutes after UIU got on the board, LU added their third goal of the game thanks to an assist from Lukas Martinen and a score from Franz Husbands. The Lions then added another insurance goal to wrap up the regular season trophy.
The Peacocks could still hold their head high after the game though, because they received news that they had made the conference tournament. Due to a Harding loss, UIU solidified the fourth and final MIAA Tournament spot – their first playoff berth since moving up to Division II play before the 2006 season.
The Peacocks will have a week off before facing Lindenwood – the number one seed in the tournament – again, this time in early November.
Stat of the Game
With Saturday's goal, the Peacocks set the school record for most goals in a single season (38), most points in a season (106) and most penalty kicks made in a season (5). UIU still has at least one more chance to extend those marks and set the record for most assists in a single season. They are currently at 30, just two shy of tying the record.
Sounding Off
Head Coach Jason Carlson after the match…
On Saturday's Match… "We came out a little flat in the first half. Our goalkeeper went down within the couple of minutes, so that put a damper on our mood. It definitely wasn't our best effort. Obviously, Lindenwood is a great team and you can't discredit their effort, but our performance just wasn't there today. I thought we did a better job in the second half. We wanted to pick up the tempo and the momentum of the game. We were playing with more confidence, but the guys had to remind each other that we've played against good teams all year and that this situation wasn't any different."
On Leandro's Goal… "It was a good build up from our offense – we played a ball to Aaron before a good touch to Newman who was clearly fouled. Leandro was composed enough to finish the PK, but they came right back. That third goal of theirs made it difficult on us. We worked so hard to get on the board that it was just deflating."
On the MIAA Playoffs… "Because Harding loss – and we knew they lost before our game starter – we are in the tournament. That's been our goal from the beginning – the guys are excited and our coaching staff is excited. We've been working all year to get this and it's a great accomplishment."
On Playing Lindenwood For the Third Time This Year… "I think that will be good. We had a good result against them at home and this time, we'll be playing them on a neutral field. We've been getting better results all year with whoever we start – there isn't an excuse for the performance today. The guys just need to step up and play big."
Up Next
The Peacocks will head into the MIAA Tournament to face the Lions of Lindenwood University in the opening round. The MIAA Men's Soccer Championship is scheduled to begin on November 7th in Olathe, Kan.
