The Peacock men's soccer team dropped a hard-fought, 4-1 decision to the Tigers of Fort Hays State University on Friday afternoon at the rainy Pattison Field in Fayette. The field conditions played a factor for both teams, and after a delayed start, the teams got going. Three first-half goals proved to be the difference, as FHSU grabbed a 3-1 halftime lead. The Tigers defense held strong in the second half to preserve the 4-1 victory. With the loss, Upper Iowa drops to 4-5 overall, and 0-4 through the first half of MIAA play. Fort Hays State, who is receiving votes in the top 25 poll, stays hot as they improve to 5-4-2 overall and a perfect 3-0 start to the league schedule.

"I thought our guys really had a good performance today," said Upper Iowa Head Coach Willie McGowan. "Unfortunately we just couldn't get  the result we wanted. I give credit to Fort Hays State. They are a really good team that had a tough start to the season with their schedule. Overall, I was pleased with our effort and this really gives us something to build on."

The first half featured a 9-4 advantage in shots for the visitors, but both teams struggled to get things going on offense early on. The game was originally scheduled to start at 2 p.m., but weather in northeast Iowa pushed the start time up to 1 p.m. The game was delayed 15 extra minutes as there was a mixup with the officials, and the game began at 1:15 p.m. central time. Fort Hays State started to gain a little momentum in the 17th minute, when they scored the first goal of the game. Luis Mendez and Abdoulaye Cisse hooked up on a give-and-go in the middle, and Mendez scored form 15 yards out to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.

In the 23rd minute, FHSU got a little help on offense. A penalty was called in the box on Upper Iowa, and the Tigers would take advantage with a penalty kick goal from Derick Gonzalez, who scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season. In the 33rd minute, Fort Hays State put pressure on the Peacocks by taking a 3-0 lead when Caden Frank sent a header into the net from five yards away after a perfectly executed corner from Benji Granillo. Upper Iowa needed a response before halftime, and they would get it.

In the 37th minute, the Peacocks earned a penalty kick of their own after a mistake in the box by the visitors. Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez took the penalty kick and faked left, then scored on the right side as the FHSU goalkeeper was completely off balance. Meraz-Rodriguez's second goal of the season put UIU on the board, and they gained a little momentum heading into halftime.

"We competed really well today," McGowan added. "We had a great response at the end of the first half. I thought we grabbed some much-needed momentum, and we had some great opportunities. It was very competitive, and I know we are confident we can build off of what we did offensively in the first half."

The second half featured a 7-6 advantage for Upper Iowa in shot attempts, however, the Peacocks could not capitalize on their limited chances. FHSU led 15-11 in shots for the game, and on a rainy afternoon, a 3-1 advantage was a large enough lead. Fort Hays State added to their lead with a late goal in the 86th minute, when Abdoulaye Cisse scored his fifth goal of the season off a cross from right to left.

The game featured 30 fouls, including 19 on the Peacocks and 11 on their guests. Seven yellow cards were handed out on the day, and the physicality played a factor. Individually, Ryan Crabtree, Ruairidh Crawford, and Aaron Morgan each tallied two shot attempts, and Tim Brackett, Meraz-Rodriguez, and Dylan Mientus added a shot attempt as well. In the net, Connor Rortvedt added six saves to bring his total to 53 for the season.

"Today we competed much better than we did last week," McGowan said. "We came out and brought the energy from the beginning, and we can definitely build off this game as we move into the second half of the MIAA season."

Before the second half of league play begins, Upper Iowa will hit the road on Wednesday, Oct. 11 as they head to Liberto, Mo. to battle William Jewell College. MIAA play picks up next Sunday, Oct. 15 in Fayette as the Peacocks meet Lindenwood University at 11 a.m.