The No. 23 Peacock men's soccer team surrendered two second-half goals in a 2-1 loss at Wisconsin-Parkside on Friday afternoon. After a scoreless first half that featured only five combined shot attempts, the home team put two balls in the back of the net in a four-minute span to defeat Upper Iowa. UIU drops to 0-1 on the young season, and loses the opening game for the first time since 2013.

The first half was dominated by defense. Neither team could not gain control as there were only five combined shots taken. Upper Iowa had two opportunities, but missed wide and then high. UIU goalkeeper Connor Rortvedt earned the only save of the half in the 31st minute. The junior finished the afternoon with three saves. Both teams had three corner kicks in the opening period, but solid defense kept the score tied, 0-0.

Wisconsin-Parkside came out strong in the second frame. One minute into the second half, the Rangers missed high on a shot attempt, and from that point on, took seven shots in a twelve-minute span. In the 54th minute, Ryan Shogren took a pass from Leki Prpa and scored on the right side to put the home team up 1-0. Shogren was not done. Four minutes later, Shogren received a pass from Abraham Kanneh and converted for the second time, giving UW-Parkside the 2-0 advantage that they would never relinquish.

The Peacocks were not going to back down, however. UIU found some momentum when the Rangers could not clear the ball away from the goal. Blair Lyons got his foot on the ball, and a defender deflected the ball that found its way into the back of the net. Upper Iowa had new life, trailing 2-1 with just under 30 minutes to play.

Upper Iowa had three more chances to score, but just missed out on those opportunities. Lyons had one last chance with three seconds remaining, but his shot hit off the crossbar, and the home team held on for the victory.

UIU trailed the home team in shot attempts (11-5), shots on goal (5-0), and assists (3-0). Rortvedt earned three saves in five shots faced, but suffered the loss in goal. The Peacocks did hold the advantage in corners earned (7-5).

Upper Iowa will continue their three-week road trip on Sunday afternoon in Romeoville, Ill. against the Flyers of Lewis University. Kickoff is set for noon. Live options are available for the match.