Score early and play defense was the theme of the weekend for the Peacock women's soccer team, and it worked again on Sunday afternoon at Pattison Field in Fayette. Upper Iowa picked up a 1-0 win over the Cougars of the University of Sioux Falls, giving UIU its first winning streak of the 2017 season. The home team scored two minutes into the game, and held on with outstanding defense to preserve the victory. With the win, the Peacocks sweep the weekend, and improve to 3-7-1 overall and 3-5-1 in the Northern Sun Conference. Sioux Falls drops to 4-6-2 and 3-4-2 in league play.
Upper Iowa outshot their guests 15-10 on the afternoon, but the big difference was an 11-5 advantage in shots placed on goal.
Caila Petrie earns her third shutout of the year in net, and tallied saves on all five shots she faced. The defense faced three corner kicks for the match, but held on the backline for the shutout.
The scoring got started on the first shot of the game for the home team, when
Birgit Rijnders took a shot from the middle of the box for her first goal of the season. Upper Iowa claimed the lead in the second minute of the game, and that would prove to be all they would need. Sioux Falls actually outshot the Peacocks 6-5 in the first half, but UIU capitalized on its opportunities, while the USF offense could not find the back of the net.
The second half, despite neither team being able to score, was all Peacocks. Upper Iowa held a 10-4 advantage in shot attempts, and held the ball most of the half. Sioux Falls goalkeeper Morgan Perkins did her job in the second half, posting eight saves in the 45-minute frame.
For the game, Rijnders led the way with six more shot attempts, giving her 16 for the weekend and a score.
Molly Doran,
Jordyn Ostrowski, and
Charlotte Ryan each registered two shot attempts as well.
Upper Iowa gets to stay in Fayette next weekend for a pair of games at Pattison Field. First up, the Peacocks host the Beavers of Minot State University on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 11 a.m. UIU then will host the University of Mary Marauders on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m. for Senior Day.
