THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S SOCCER... The Upper Iowa women's soccer team takes their five-game winning streak with them as they take on a pair of Northern Sun Conference teams this weekend. The Peacocks will embark on their longest road trip of the season when they battle the Marauders of the University of Mary on Saturday afternoon in Bismarck, N.D. before heading further north to square off with the No. 13 Beavers of Minot State University on Sunday. Upper Iowa has its longest winning streak since October of 2014 and will look to continue its success in conference play. UIU is 5-3 all-time against the Marauders, including a 2-0 win last season in Bismarck. The Peacocks is 4-1 all-time against the Beavers after dropping to MSU for the first time last season, 2-1 in Minot, and all five matches have been one-goal affairs.
SWEEPING UP THE MUSTANGS AND COUGARS... Upper Iowa earned its second-consecutive sweep of 2016 last weekend against Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. The Peacocks shutout the Mustangs on Friday afternoon, 2-0 before heading over to Sioux Falls, S.D. to defeat the Cougars, 2-1, last Sunday. Despite being outshot 27-24 in the two games, they found a way to outscore their opponents 4-1 for the second straight weekend to earn their first five-game winning streak in two seasons (10-game winning streak in 2014).
LESS CHANCES, MORE WINS... Upper Iowa has now scored two goals in each game during its winning streak, and are 7-0 this season when they score twice. However, UIU's opponents have outshot the Peacocks 81-54 during the five-game winning streak. Despite being outshot by 27, Upper Iowa has outscored their foes 10-3. The defense has been a big key during this streak, led by junior goalkeeper
Caila Petrie. Petrie earned her third shutout of the season on Friday against SMSU, but posted only four saves over the weekend because of oustanding play by the backline.
EVERYONE CONTRIBUTING... Freshman
Birgit Rijnders scored what proved to be the game-winning goals in both games, giving her three goals for the season. Rijnders came off the bench in both games and tallied four total shot attempts over the weekend. Senior
Lauren Sharp scored her first goal of the season in the 2-0 win over SMSU Friday, and recorded her first assist of the year in the win over USF Sunday, while
Maggie Olson tallied her second goal of the year in the 13th minute on Sunday as well. Everyone has been contributing for Upper Iowa this season, with eight different Peacocks scoring at least one goal.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS...
vs. U-MARY... The Marauders (1-6-3 overall, 1-5-2 NSIC) earned their third tie of season against Minnesota Duluth, and dropped a 3-1 decision to St. Cloud State last weekend. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Karleen Pappert made the first two career starts over the weekend. She had four saves against SCSU and six against UMD. Pappert also faced 13 corner kicks against the Bulldogs and didn't allow a goal on the set pieces. U-Mary is led by Michelle McGeary, who has tallied three goals on the season.
vs. NO. 13 MINOT STATE... The Beavers (9-1 overall, 8-0 NSIC) remain the only undefeated team in league play, after a pair of wins last weekend. Minot State has started 8-0 in the NSIC, which marks the best conference start in school history. The Beavers secured their fifth-straight shutout and seventh shutout overall this season. MSU is led by Ninfa Ramirez, who has tallied 13 goals on the year, six more than the next closest.
