The Upper Iowa women's soccer team ended on the wrong side of a 3-2 shootout on Friday evening at Pattison Field in Fayette. Concordia-St. Paul kept its playoff hopes alive for another day as the Golden Bears scored twice in the second half to claim the victory. Trailing 3-1, the Peacocks put together a late rally with a goal, but came up short in the Northern Sun Conference matchup. With the loss, UIU drops to .500 at 8-8 overall and 7-7 in the league, while the Golden Bears improve to 5-8-4 overall and 5-5-4 in conference play.

The visitors got the scoring started in the first half. In the 15th minute, Katri Gifford sent a corner kick to Chelsie Lindsay. Lindsay, while in the box, sent a pass to teammate Jordan Rowan-Stafford, and Stafford was able to connect for the goal to give CSP the 1-0 advantage. Upper Iowa, going against the 17 miles per hour wind in the first half, was determined to find the equalizer before the halftime break. The offense found it. In the 25th minute, Christiana Atteberry worked a give-and-go with teammate Gaby Diaz, and Atteberry gathered the ball on the right side of the box. The senior from Sacramento, Calif. sent it passed the CSP goalkeeper for her third goal of the season, and sent the match to a 1-1 tie at the intermission. 

Upper Iowa held an 11-7 advantage in shots and a 5-4 lead in corners despite going into the wind in the first half. With the wind at their backs in the second half, the home team felt confident they could score to put pressure on their guests. The results went the other direction.

CSP went into the wind in the second frame, and found success on offense. The Golden Bears converted in the 65th minute, when Gifford took the ball on the left side of the box and scored to put Concordia-St. Paul up 2-1. Six minutes later, they found success yet again when Chelsie Lindsay took a pass from the left side and converted a header for a goal to put the visitors up 3-1. Upper Iowa was getting opportunities themselves in the second half, but was having trouble converting.

The comeback was on in the 77th minute when Maggie Olson gathered the ball in the middle of the box. From 12 yards away, the senior sent a shot into the back of the net for the goal to get the Peacocks within a goal, 3-2. Olson, Atteberry, and fellow seniors Mackenzie Taldone, Brianne Fenton, and Lauren Sharp, played their final game in Fayette on Friday afternoon.

Trailing 3-2, the Peacocks registered five more shots before the final whistle, but were unable to convert and CSP held on for the victory. Upper Iowa again held the advantage in shots (9-5), but fell just short in the highest scoring match of the season. Friday marks the first time since 2014 that UIU lost a match in which they scored at least two goals. The last lost came at Bemidji State in October two seasons ago.

For the match, Upper Iowa led in shots (20-12), but trailed in shots placed on goal (9-6). Both teams registered six corner kicks on the afternoon. Peacock goalkeeper Caila Petrie tallied six saves on the afternoon, but dropped to 8-8 on the season in net. Emily Nelson improved to 4-5-2 in goal for CSP, registering four saves on the day.

Upper Iowa will wrap up the regular season with a road match in Mankato, Minn. on Sunday afternoon as they face off with the Mavericks of Minnesota State. MSU is receiving votes in the top 25 this week, and holds a record of 10-2-1 in league play. The Peacocks will be scoreboard watching as well, as they are looking for a playoff birth. A Peacock win and some help would get them into the conference tournament for the third time in the last four seasons. Sunday's match at MSU kicks off at 1 p.m.