THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK MEN'S SOCCER... The Upper Iowa men's soccer team will head southwest to Hays, Kansas this weekend for one game this weekend in the MIAA. The Peacocks will take on the No. 16 Tigers of Fort Hays State University on Friday night at 5:30 p.m. UIU is looking to snap a two-match losing streak, after falling to Northeastern State (2-1 in OT) and Lindenwood (4-2) in Fayette the last two weeks. UIU is 1-5-1 all-time against Fort Hays State, including their first ever victory last fall. The Peacocks earned a 1-0 win over then-ranked No. 25 FHSU last year in Kansas.
SHOOTOUT IN FAYETTE... Upper Iowa and Lindenwood scored six times in a 4-2 shootout won by the visitors in Fayette last weekend. The Lions controlled the first half of play, pouring in 4 goals in the first 45 minutes and then held off an aggressive Peacock squad that scored a pair of goals just minutes apart midway through the second half. Lindenwood outshot UIU 9-3 in the first half converting four of their chances into goals. Upper Iowa's three shots all came within a few seconds of each other on their only opportunity toward the north goal, but the Lions' goalkeeper made three point-blank-range saves. UIU returned to the field in the second half with a renewed desire and picked up their intensity on the offense.
Ryan Pinkerton got the home team on the scoreboard in the 64th minute. Pinkerton scored on a breakaway set up by a through ball off the foot of
Fausto Ordenana.
Ryan Crabtree then cut the gap to two with his first goal of the season just 39 seconds later. Crabtree finished off a pass from
Blair Lyons to pull UIU within two goals as the scoreboard showed 36 minutes to play. Upper Iowa had a few other opportunities but couldn't ring the bell again falling 4-2 to Lindenwood.
"PINK" TOURING IN THE MIDWEST... Senior
Ryan Pinkerton is starting to heat up in MIAA play. The league features members from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The forward has scored two of his three goals on the season against MIAA opponents. The California native has scored twice in the last three matches. Pinkerton ranks sixth in the league in shot attempts (22) and tied for seventh with the three goals. With eight matches remaining, Pinkerton is expected to be a big part of the Peacock offense.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT...
vs. FORT HAYS STATE... The Tigers moved up one spot in the latest NSCAA Division II Top 25 Poll, released on Tuesday. FHSU is No. 16 in the latest edition after wins over Southwest Baptist and Northeastern State last weekend. The Tigers are on a four-match winning streak, outscoring their opponents 15-3 in that span. Fort Hays is led by Derick Gonzalez and Luis Torres, who have scored five and four goals respectively on the year.
