Upper Iowa emphasizes coming out and finishing strong in each half and UIU certainly finished each half strong in its first conference in of the year, 3-2, over the Wayne State Wildcats. In the closing seconds of the first half, the Peacocks put two shots off the post before Lauren Sharp found the back of the net with one second left. With just over three minutes left in the second half and the game tied 2-2, Jordyn Ostrowski scored the game-winning goal. Upper Iowa improved to 2-2-2 overall and 1-1-1 in conference, while Wayne State fell to 0-4-2 and 0-3 in NSIC play.
 
The Peacocks had season-highs in goals with three, shots with 25 and shots on goal with 14. UIU didn't waste any time putting the ball on frame as they took their first shot just 11 seconds after the opening kickoff.
 
It was the Wildcats who got on the board first as WSC scored 14 minutes into the game on a shot that hit the post and bounced into the net.
 
UIU bounced back to tie the game twenty minutes later as Madie Edwards scored her fourth goal of the season. The senior midfielder collected the ball just outside the box, took a few touches to her right and ripped a shot that hit both posts and ricocheted into the net. With the final seconds of the first half ticking away, another Edwards shot that hit the post and bounced to Sharp, who put a shot off the post and then buried her own rebound with one second left in the half to give the Peacocks a 2-1 halftime edge.
 
Early in the second half, the Peacocks continued to threaten offensively, but the Wildcats were able to make the most of a counterattack. At the 57:47 mark, WSC tied the game 2-2.
 
As the clock wound down toward the end of the game, UIU got a quick goal-scoring opportunity and Ostrowski finished it. A Peacock throw-in got past a group of players and senior midfielder Nicole Poirier poked the ball behind the Wildcats defense. Ostrowski ran onto the ball in the box, got around the goalkeeper and found the back of the net with a little more than three minutes left in the game.
 
Edwards took a team-high six shots, forcing the Wildcat goalkeeper to make five saves. Sophomore goalkeeper Caila Petrie made her first start of the year and had six saves on the day.
 
UIU will head north for their first NSIC road test in their next game when they take on the Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Sept. 26.