THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK MEN'S SOCCER... The Upper Iowa men's soccer team returns to Fayette for the first time since Sept. 3 after a six-game road trip away from home. The Peacocks match up with the Fort Hays State Tigers, who are receiving votes in the top 25, as they look for their first MIAA victory of the season. The game gets underway at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6, and can be seen on UIU TV online and in eastern Iowa on KCRG TV 9.2. The game can also be streamed on the Stretch Internet app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV.
THE SERIES... Upper Iowa is 2-6-1 all-time against Fort Hays State, after splitting two matches last season. The Peacocks fell in overtime in Kansas last season in the first matchup, but came back with a 2-1 victory in Fayette on the second-to-last day of the regular season. Two first-half goals were the difference in the victory.
BEARCATS AND RIVERHAWKS BLANK PEACOCKS... Upper Iowa dropped a pair of MIAA games last weekend on the road, including a 2-0 defeat to Southwest Baptist and a 3-0 decision to Northeastern State. UIU and SBU were scoreless at halftime, but a pair of goals in a three-minute span gave the home team the lead they would not relinquish. The Peacocks then matched up with the RiverHawks, and were outshot 13-7 in the loss, and surrendered a pair of second-half goals that put the game away.
.500... The Peacocks are 4-4 on the season, and have been outscored 12-11 in the process. UIU and its opponents have scored almost the same amount of goals, but the Upper Iowa defense has faced more shots than their opponents backline. The Peacocks are getting outshot 118-84 on the season, but have only surrendered the 12 goals, for an opponent shooting percentage of .102.
TEAM LEADERS... Ruairidh Crawford leads the team in points (7) and goals scored (3), while
Italo Martins Soares is right behind in both categories with six points and two goals scored. Martins Soares leads the squad with 16 shot attempts, while
Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez sits two behind with 14. Crawford (9) and
Dylan Mientus (7) ranked third and fourth on the team in shot attempts as well.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT...
vs. FORT HAYS STATE... The Tigers (4-4-2, 2-0 MIAA) looks to add to its 2-0 start in MIAA play with a five match road trip, including four straight conference games. FHSU is coming off two strong weeks that consisted of four straight victories. The Tiger offense played a huge role in these wins as they outscored their opponents 17-1 in that stretch. FHSU currently sits in 20th in the nation in total points on the season. Senior Derick Gonzalez has been a vital part of this offense the entire season as he leads the Tigers in every offensive category. His assist on the fifth Tiger goal on Sunday against Southern Nazarene landed him in some great company in the men's soccer team history. He tied Mauricio Castorino and Tanner Brock as the only Tigers to provide a point in seven straight matches. Gonzalez not only leads the MIAA in assists with seven, but also stands in second in the nation in the setting his teammates up for success and ranks 21st in total points in Division II.
