THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S SOCCER... Upper Iowa (3-7-1, 3-5-1 NSIC) will takes it two-game winning streak with them to Pattison Field in Fayette as they host a pair of Northern Sun Conference games this weekend. The Peacocks match up with the Minot State Beavers, the defending NSIC regular-season champions, on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 11 a.m. UIU will cap off senior weekend with a game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15 against the UMary Marauders. Both games will have live stat options, and can be viewed online on UIU TV. Sunday's game will air live in eastern Iowa on KCRG TV 9.2. Both games this weekend can also be streamed on the Stretch Internet app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.
WINNING WAYS... The Peacocks picked up their first two shutout victories of the year last week, and their second and third shutouts overall, with a pair of 1-0 wins over Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. Upper Iowa outshot their opponents 40-22, including a 15-9 edge in shots placed on goal in the wins, but their defense was the formula for success. UIU is 3-1-1 on the season when allowing one goal or less. The wins were significant for the Peaocks, as this is the first winning streak of the season for the team, and their first two-game streak since they won five straight from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9 in 2016.
NSIC GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK... Senior Caila Petrie was named the NSIC Goalkeeper of the Week after leading the Peacocks in goal. It is the first NSIC Goalkeeper of the Week award for UIU since Sept. 29, 2014. Petrie recorder her second and third shutouts of the season with a pair of clean sheets, and tallied nine saves in the process. The Loves Park, Ill. product now ranks fifth in the NSIC with 65 saves on the season. Petrie recorded four saves Friday at SMSU and five saves at home Sunday against USF, and was a part of a Peacock defense that dominated in the two games to build their first winning streak of the season. The two wins are the first time since 2015 the Peacocks recorded back-to-back shutouts, and it is the first time Petrie has posted two in a row in her career.
THE SERIES... The Peacocks are 4-3 all-time against the Beavers, and have lost three consecutive games in the series. UIU dropped a 2-1 decision in 2015 and a 3-0 game last season in Minot, N.D. The two teams met up in the first round of the NSIC Tournament up north as well, and Minot State came out with a 3-1 win. All but two games in the series have been one-goal affairs. Upper Iowa is 5-4 all-time against the Marauders, and have split the last two matchups. UIU won 2-0 in 2015, but dropped a 2-1 game last season in Bismarck.
SENIOR SENDOFF... Upper Iowa will say goodbye to six seniors at the end of the season, and while Sunday will not be their final time at Pattison Field, the program will honor those six after the game against UMary.
Gina Britton,
Rachel Fowler, Makayla Nassy-Wong,
Caila Petrie,
Charlotte Ryan, and
Lexi Vaughn have put in many hours over the last four years, and together as a group have compiled 29 wins for the program, including two trips to the NSIC Tournament. The six have combined for 26 NSIC wins as well.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS...
vs. MINOT STATE... The Beavers (7-4-1, 6-3 NSIC) extended their season-long winning streak to four matches last weekend with a pair of wins. Four different players scored goals for the Beavers in the victories. Minot State leads the NSIC with 29 goals scored on the season and ranks second with a plus-23 goal differential. Goalkeeper Erin Rafferty posted her seventh shutout of the season in 1-0 win vs. Minnesota Duluth.
vs. UMARY... The Marauders (7-2-2, 5-2-2 NSIC) posted a weekend sweep with a 1-0 home win over St. Cloud State and a 2-1 road win at Minnesota Duluth. In their last five games the Marauders are 4-0-1. UMary is off to its best start since joining the NCAA and Northern Sun in 2006. UM owns four shutouts and have yet to allow more than a single goal in any game this season to rank fourth in the NSIC with a goals-against average of .67.
