The Upper Iowa men's soccer team fought hard for 105 minutes on Friday night down in Hays, Kansas against the No. 16 Tigers of Fort Hays State University in a matchup of MIAA opponents. Trailling 1-0 with just seven minutes left on the clock, the Peacocks continued to battle and found a way to score and tie the game in the 83rd minute. It took 15 extra minutes of overtime before FHSU scored the game-winning goal, sending UIU home with a tough 2-1 double overtime defeat. With the loss, Upper Iowa drops to 3-7 overall (1-3 MIAA), while the win improves the Tigers to 7-2-1 overall and 3-0 in league play.
It was a scoreless first half that featured a total of eight shot attempts, with the home team holding a slight 5-3 advantage. FHSU earned three corners in the first frame as well, but the Peacock backline held strong against one of the best offenses in the country. Peacock goalkeeper
Connor Rortvedt tallied two first-half saves, and the rest of the defense played well to keep the game scoreless. Offensively for UIU, there were few opportunities to score in the first 45 minutes. Their best chance came in the 14th minute, when a header from
Dominic Boland was saved by FHSU goalkeeper Michael Yantz. The teams headed to the intermission in a scoreless tie.
The dramatic second half became very interesting in the 54th minute. Off a corner kick from Mauricio Castorino, Fort Hays State's Luis Mendez sent the ball to Luis Torres, who converted his first goal of the season, putting the home team up 1-0. The Peacocks had not attempted a shot in the second frame up to that point, and it looked like UIU was down for the count. But the visitors did not give up.
From the 70th minute to the 83rd minute, the Peacocks tallied four shot attempts. The final shot paid off.
Ruairidh Crawford sent a pass to
Blair Lyons, who sent the ball to the back of the net to tie the match. It was the fourth goal of the year for Lyons, who only attempted the one shot on the night. The game was tied, and the teams were headed for overtime.
The home team dominated the first overtime, despite not being able to score. FHSU held the advantage 4-0 in shots. But two Rortvedt saves combined with a block kept the game tied and the teams headed to the second OT.
The second extra period was nearly identical, with the Tigers tallying 4 more shots. UIU did not get a shot off in either overtime period, and that allowed the home team to find a way to win. In the 105th minue, Maurizio Costa scored on a penalty kick to win the game, and keep Fort Hays State undefeated in MIAA play.
Rortvedt tallied 8 saves in goal, and dropped to 3-7 in goal for the Peacocks. Yantz recorded just one save, but improved to 7-2-1 in the net for FHSU. For the game, the home team held a significant lead in shots (22-7), shots on goal (10-2), and corners earned (11-3).
The Peacocks will have shorter rest this week, with two non-conference games scheduled. UIU will host Presentation College on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. at Pattison Field, before heading to La Crosse, Wis. on Thursday, Oct. 13 to battle Viterbo at 4 p.m. Tuesday's match with Presentation will be broadcast live on KCRG TV 9.2.
