Box Score Records
Upper Iowa (2-1) || Mount Mercy (3-5)
Recap
Friday Afternoon's rivalry matchup with Mount Mercy University brought the Upper Iowa Men's Soccer team a familiar challenge. With 38 minutes remaining in the game, the Peacocks trailed 2-1 and faced an uphill battle.
Yet, instead of admitting defeat, UIU battled back and earned three unanswered goals from three different players to emerge victorious.
Ryan Pinkerton,
Andres Cuesta and
Jared Devine all netted goals against the Mustangs in the final thirty minutes of the game to earn a 4-2 non-conference victory at home.
The win marked the second in a row for UIU and the second straight home victory. The Peacocks now sit at 2-1 this season, including 2-0 on Pattison Field.
The Peacocks stole the momentum early with a goal in the 24th minute. Pinkerton created the scoring strike by finding Cuesta inside the 18-yard box. After controlling the pass, Cuesta was nearly taken down by a Mustang defender, but he stayed on his feet and found the back of the net for the first time in 2013.
"I just saw an opportunity and I took advantage of it," the sophomore from Bogota, Columbia said after the game. "Ryan found me inside the box and I nearly fell. Right before I kicked the ball, the defender tripped me. I stayed on my feet so I knew I had to score – that was going to be
my goal."
The Mustangs fought right back and tied the game at 1-1 with a goal from Jordan Torquato just before halftime.
MMU then added another goal in the 52nd minute of play as Robert MacGillivray picked up his fifth assist of the season after finding Marco Fichtner for the score. Fichtner drilled the ball from 22 yards out and curved the shot just enough to hit the back right post.
The 2-1 lead presented the Peacocks will some adversity, but the players stuck to the game plan. The offense kept attacking and finally earned a corner in the 65th minute of play.
Leandro Pena took the kick and sent it Pinkerton's way inside the box. The freshman's ensuing header from five yards out tied the game at two goals apiece.
The Peacocks stayed kept up the pressure and took the lead in the 81st minute thanks to Cuesta's second goal of the game. Not to be outdone,
Jared Devine added a decisive fourth UIU goal as he netted his first goal of the season off an assist from
Rafael Pedroso.
The 4-2 victory was testimony to the Peacocks' never-say-die attitude and proved that the UIU offense is dangerous when it wants to be.
Stat of the Day
The Peacocks nine goals over the past two games is the most since October of 2010 when UIU scored 10 goals in two games.
Standouts
Upper Iowa: Andres Cuesta (2 goals), Ryan Pinkerton (1 goal, 1 assist), Jared Devine (1 goal), Leandro Pena (1 assist), Rafael Pedroso (1 assist).
Mount Mercy: Marco Fichtner (1 goal), Jamie Booth (1 goal), Jordan Torquato (1 assist), Robert MacGillivray (1 assist).
Sounding Off
Head Coach Jason Carlson after the match.
On The Win... "It was another positive step for us getting our second win at home. I think we dealt with adversity really well today. We had a lead early but gave that up. We stuck with it though and we were able to get three unanswered goals in the final thirty minutes. That really showed our endurance as a team and the guy's commitment to the game plan."
On Andres Cuesta… "You know, it wasn't so much about his on-the-ball skills today, but more about defensively what he brought to the game. He showed us what we've seen expected from him all year long. I think that flowed over to the offensive side of things – it gave him more confidence to attack those balls and earn those goals."
On Ryan Pinkerton… "He just seems to find the right matchup to be successful. I think the guys really trust him at this point, so they're looking for him. Then you've got a guy like Aaron Calkins running off of him – it just doesn't give a team a chance to solo either of them out. They're both really dangerous around the goal."
On The Mustangs … "Mount Mercy is a very good team. We couldn't overlook them, so for our guys, having known them and having played them consistently for the last couple of years, I think that keeps them bought into the system and I know this win meant a lot to them. I mean, we scored nine goals in the last two games – they're definitely excited about that."
Any Other Standouts? … "I think it was great to see
Sebastian Smith in the game today. He's coming back from an injury, but you wouldn't think he's been sitting out for two weeks with the way he played today. He came right in and made a big impact. I also thought the defense played well despite giving up two goals. We're starting to eliminate those silly mistakes and that will allow us to be successful."
Next Up
The team will have three days of rest before hitting the road to take on St. Ambrose University on Sept. 17. Game time is set for 3 p.m. in Davenport, Iowa.
