LIVE STATS: Lindenwood ||
WEBCAST: Lindenwood THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK MEN'S SOCCERThe Upper Iowa men's soccer team (7-0-1, 2-0 MIAA) returns home to Fayette after a month-long, six-game road trip for a conference match against the Lions of Lindenwood on Saturday. The Peacocks are 0-6-1 all-time against LU, but four of those losses came by just one goal. UIU battled the Lions to a 0-0 tie in 2013, when Lindenwood went 18-1-3 and made the national tournament.
LAST WEEK IN PEACOCK MEN'S SOCCERUpper Iowa continued their perfect start to the 2015 season by beating the Southwest Baptist Bearcats 2-1 in the conference opener on Thursday. Junior
Ty Johnson scored the game-winning goal less than three minutes into overtime. Then on Saturday, the Peacocks team made program history with a 1-0 victory over Northeastern State. In UIU's fourth season of MIAA conference play, it marked the first time Upper Iowa had beaten the RiverHawks, who had won the first four games in the series between the two teams.
KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER
1 MAKING HISTORY: The 7-0-1 start to the 2015 season is the best in program history since moving to NCAA Division II and with each win contines the best stretch of Head Coach
Jason Carlson's three-year tenure at UIU.
2 NATIONALLY RANKED: For the second time in program history the Upper Iowa Men's Soccer team was ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Top 25 Poll released Tuesday afternoon. The Peacocks moved all the way up to No. 12 in the rankings after three weeks of receiving votes just outside the top 25. UIU is also ranked as the top team in the NSCAA Central Region for the first time in school history.
3 SENIOR LEADERSHIP: Of Upper Iowa's 14 goals and 7 assists this season, 11 goals and 4 assists have come from upper classmen. Senior
Greg Marshall leads the team with five goals, while fellow senior
Rhys Williams has four. Senior
Sebastian Smith is tied for the team-lead two assists, while senior
Rafael Pedroso and junior
Ryan Pinkerton have one each.
4 CLEAN SHEET CONNOR: UIU sophomore goalkeeper
Connor Rortvedt continues to be one of the best goalkeepers across the country this season. Rortvedt ranks fifth in the nation in save percentage (0.909), seventh in goals against average (0.485) and 23rd in total saves (40). He leads the conference in all three categories, as well as shutouts (4) and is second in minutes played between the pipes (742).
ABOUT THE OPPONENTSvs. LINDENWOOD: The Lions are 4-3-1 to start the 2015 season and 1-1 in MIAA play. Lindenwood played three matches over the last week, falling to Northeastern State in its conference opener, 2-3, before beating Southwest Baptist 1-0. This past Tuesday, Lindenwood fell 3-1 to Truman State in a non-conference match.
