LIVE STATS:  Lindenwood || WEBCAST:  Lindenwood

This week in Peacock men's soccer… Upper Iowa (3-2-1) heads out on a six-game road trip, beginning with a match in Cedar Rapids against Mount Mercy on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., followed by a trip to St. Charles, Mo., to play Lindenwood on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Mustangs are 8-1 to start the season, winning their last six matches by a combined score of 20-3. The Peacocks defeated Mount Mercy in Fayette last season 4-2, but fell to the Mustangs 3-2 in Cedar Rapids. The Lions of Lindenwood are 2-2-2 so far in 2014 and are receiving votes in the national poll. The Peacocks were one of only three teams to escape a game with the Lions without a loss in 2013, tying Lindenwood 0-0 in a game in Fayette. The Lions defeated UIU, 4-1, in St. Charles and 3-1 in Olathe, Kansas, at the MIAA conference tournament. 

Magic McBeth... Johnny McBeth waited until his fifth collegiate match to score his first goal, but made the most of the game, scoring three goals. In doing so, he became the first Peacock to score a hat-trick since 2010. He followed up his goal scoring extravaganza with another in the next game to bring his season and weekend total to four, which is tied for the conference lead. For his efforts, McBeth was named MIAA Soccer Athlete of the Week. He is the first Upper Iowa player to receive the award. The Peacocks joined the MIAA for men's soccer in 2012.

Cali On My Mind... Ryan Pinkerton has come off the bench this year to spark the Peacock offense. "Cali" is second on the team with three goals and seven total points, including two goals and an assist over the last two matches. He currently ranks tied for fourth in the MIAA with three goals. Pinkerton, a sophomore, finished his freshman season third on the team in points (13), tied for fourth in goals (4) and tied for first in assists (5).

Connor Continues... Coming into the season, the Peacocks didn't have anyone on the roster with collegiate experience at goalkeeper. Freshman Connor Rortvedt has stepped into the role like a wily veteran. Rortvedt currently ranks second in the conference in goals against average with 1.15. He's made 23 saves, third in the MIAA, and currently has a .767 save percentage, also third in conference. Finally, his two shutouts are tied for tops in the conference.    

Last week for the Mustangs… Mount Mercy continued their hot streak last week, winning a pair of games and running their total win streak to six. The Mustangs started the week by eeking out a 2-1 double overtime win over Dordt College at home. Dordt scored early in the first half, but Mount Mercy rallied with a goal in the second, then won in the second extra period. The Mustangs then carried their momentum into a home match against Judson College, whom they defeated 5-0. Four different MMU players scored in the first half and they cruised to the victory.  

Last week for the Lions… Lindenwood split a pair of games last week, winning the latter and ending a three-game winless draught. The Lions dropped their first game, 4-0, to No. 11 Quincy, giving up four second half goals in a 20 minute span. Lindenwood then rebounded to the tune of a 3-1 victory over Southwest Baptist. The Lions struck quickly in each half, scoring just five minutes into the game and three minutes after halftime, in route to their first conference win of the season.