Box Score Records
Upper Iowa - 4-3 (1-0 MIAA)
|| Southwest Baptist - 0-8 (0-2 MIAA)
Recap
Upper Iowa's Head Men's Soccer Coach
Jason Carlson didn't have to wait long to get a victory in the MIAA. Against Southwest Baptist University in the MIAA opener, it looked like another disappointing outcome was on the horizon as SBU took a 1-0 lead into halftime. But the Peacocks stormed back to score four goals in the second half and pull out a 4-2 victory at home.
Carlson's secret to winning isn't complicated – he attacks the opponent's defense until they wear down.
The Peacocks could not find the back of the net in the first half of Friday's game, but the offensive starters did their job. They wore down the Bearcats defense which led to a barrage of UIU goals in period number two.
First, it was
Leandro Pena who netted a game-tying goal in the 48th minute of action, then
Aaron Calkins found
Ryan Pinkerton inside the box for the goal-ahead goal. For Pinkerton, it was his second goal of the season, and it gave UIU a 2-1 lead.
In the 78th minute,
Rafael Pedroso beat the defense around the corner and found
Jared Newman right in front of the net for what would be the eventual game-winning goal. Newman has now scored a goal in the last three games straight, while Pedroso earned his second assist of the game and fourth of the 2013 season.
The Bearcats made one final push as Bradley Stillwagon earned a goal off a header to pull SBU within one, 3-2, with nearly 15 minutes left, but It wasn't enough.
UIU scored one final time – an insurance goal in the 87th minute – to seal the 4-2 victory.
Dan Rasmussen was credited with the assist as he found
Jared Devine in front of the net with just the goalkeeper to beat. Devine found the back of the net, sailing the ball to the top left corner and bumping his season total to two goals.
Stat of the Day
In all, the Peacocks played 18 players, four of whom scored at least one goal, while three of them earned at least one assist.
Sounding Off
Head Coach Jason Carlson after the win...
On the Win… "We didn't fall in as deep of a hole today as we did earlier in the week against Mount Mercy. We were only down a goal and I really felt like we got back to the gameplan in the second half. We had some good adjustments – the players really stuck with the attack and adjusted to how the defense was playing. I also think our fitness showed up today. Southwest Baptist has a young program, so they don't have the depth that we do – that really showed in the last 15 minutes."
On the Offensive Attack… "I think both guys out wide did a great job – Leandro Pena and Rafael Pedroso. Leandro had that first goal and Rafa had two assists today, so that was good to see. We wanted to exploit them out wide, that's what where we thought we could take advantage of them after watching the film, so it's good to see the guys stick to the gameplan and get after them."
On the Bearcats' Two Goals… "We just need to minimize those mistakes on the back line and in transition. We tend to misplay balls in transition and that puts us in a bad position. Today's first goal was a miss-clearance and they just had a guy waiting there in the right place. There really wasn't anything Jordan was going to do about it. But I think Jordan is playing really well right now. We just need to correct those errors and we'll be good to go."
On Scoring Four Goals… "We made it a little bit tighter than we needed to today because we didn't finish all of our opportunities. But it was good to see the guys stick with the gameplan and pull out a victory. We're definitely scoring a lot of goals this year. We have quite a few more than last year already, so it's good to see we are taking advantage of our speed and offensive skills and capitalizing on our opponent's mistakes."
On the Team's Depth… "Jared Newman scored his third goal in three games coming off the bench. He really brings a ton of energy to the field. That's just what he does, day-in and day-out. Jared Devine came off the bench and got a goal thanks to some aggressive play from Dan Rasmussen. Those guys give us depth up top and they allow us to really get after teams this year. We've got guys who can come off the bench and score goals."
UIU Standouts
Newman (Goal), Pinkerton (Goal), Pena (Goal), Devine (Goal), Pedroso (2 Assists), Rasmussen (Assist), Calkins (Assist).
Next Up
The Peacocks will continue their Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association campaign on Sunday as UIU hosts Lindenwood University at 1 p.m. on Pattison Field.
