The Peacock men's soccer team opened up the second half of their MIAA schedule on Sunday afternoon at a sloppy and muddy Pattison Field in Fayette. Upper Iowa fell 3-0 to the Lions of Lindenwood University, and were outshot 21-8 for the game. Lindenwood struck first in the opening half, and added two more scores in the second frame to pull away in the match. With the win, the Lions improve to 8-5 overall and 3-2 in the MIAA, while Upper Iowa drops to 5-6 overall and 0-5 in league play.
The first half featured strong defensive play, specifically for the home team. Upper Iowa was outshot 12-2 in the period, and the defense held strong until the 41st minute. Lindenwood's Michele Ganz was able to sneak a goal in from about five yards away for his MIAA-leading 11th goal of the season. The score gave the Lions a 1-0 halftime lead, and their constant pressure on offense finally paid off. UIU was on defense the majority of the half, but would get a few more attempts offensively in half number two.
The opening 45 minutes were physical from the beginning, and that set the tone for the afternoon. A total of 25 fouls were called in the first frame, and 16 more were called in the second half.
Connor Rortvedt tallied four first-half saves in net, and would finish with seven for the game.
In the second half, Lindenwood added to their lead 11 minutes in. In the 56th minute, Joshua Scholl scored his second goal of the season after taking a pass from Ganz and Gabriel Jaimes. The two teamed up for a double assist and the visitors held a 2-0 advantage. In the 70th minute, Lindenwood put the game away when Jose de Gregorio sent a corner kick in with a little help from the wind and a perfect angle. The 3-0 lead would hold up for the final score on Sunday.
For the match, UIU trailed 21-8 in shots and 10-5 in shots placed on goal. Offensively,
Italo Martins Soares led the way with three shot attempts in the loss.
Upper Iowa will head to Shawnee, Okla. on Thursday, Oct. 19 to take on Oklahoma Baptist at 5 p.m. The team will close out the non-conference week with a road game on Saturday, Oct. 21 in Bethany, Okla. as they battle Southern Nazarene at 12 p.m.
