THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK MEN'S SOCCER... The Upper Iowa men's soccer team continues their three-week road trip to kick off the 2016 season with two more games in Hayward, Calif. The Peacocks match up with the Pioneers of California State University East Bay on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. before squaring off with the Lumberjacks of Humboldt State University on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 10:30 a.m. Both games will feature schools meeting for the first time. CSU East Bay and Humboldt State compete in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), finishing 12th and 13th respectively in 2015.
OPENING WEEK... Upper Iowa dropped both games last week on the road at UW-Parkside (2-1) and Lewis (3-0). UIU surrendered two second-half goals in a four-minute span in the loss to UWP, and the Peacocks gave up two more goals in a six-minute window in the second frame against Lewis. The lone goal for Upper Iowa came when the Parkside Rangers could not clear the ball away from the goal.
Blair Lyons got his foot on the ball, and a defender deflected it as it found its way into the back of the net. UIU is 0-2 for the first time since 2012, when they lost to Metro State and Regis to open up the season.
BALL CONTROL... The Peacocks will look to control the ball better in California. Through two games, UIU's oppponents have the advantage in shots taken (31-12), shots on goal (12-4), and corners earned (14-8). Upper Iowa is still looking for its first goal of the season registered by a Peacock. Lyons leads the way with three shot attempts, while
Thiago Silva,
Fausto Ordenana, and
Dominic Boland have each tallied two attempts.
STREAK SNAPPED... Upper Iowa came in to the 2016 season riding an eight-match winning streak away from Fayette. The Peacock losses last weekend snapped a streak that dated back to October of 2014. Since the start of the 2013 season, Head Coach
Jason Carlson's first at UIU, the Peacocks are 12-5 in road games. Thursday's match will be the third of a six-game stretch on the road to begin this season.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS...
vs. CAL STATE EAST BAY... The Pioneers opened up their season with a pair of shutout victories at home over the Academy of Art and Holy Names. CSU East Bay is 2-0 under first year head coach Michael Bielski. Michael Paiva scored in each match, while goalkeeper Ariel Rosenmann tallied 10 saves in 180 minutes in the net.
vs. HUMBOLDT STATE... The Lumberjacks opened their season with a 1-0 win over William Jessup. HSU faced off with Hope International, ending in a 1-1 stalemate. Johan Muliadi scored the game-winner on Thursday. Muliadi collected his own rebound off a missed penalty kick and buried the second opportunity in the back of the net for the game-winner. On Saturday, Isaiah Dairo scored in the 82nd minute to even the score with Holy Names.
