The Peacock men's soccer team ended their 2017 season on Sunday afternoon at Pattison Field in Fayette with a big win over the Bearcats of Southwest Baptist University. Upper Iowa honored their four seniors prior to the game, and then went out and posted a 3-1 victory thanks for a pair of second-half goals. With the win, UIU ends its season with a 7-10 overall record, and 1-7 in the MIAA. SBU drops to 1-15 and 1-7 in league play.

On a cold day, it took the offenses a little while to get going. There were just nine shot attempts in the first half, with Upper Iowa holding a 6-3 advantage in that category. The Peacocks got the scoring started in the ninth minute when Aaron Morgan was able to grab the ball and beat defenders on the right side of the box. The junior then moved towards the middle and sent it through the back of the net from about 10 yards away to put the home team on the board. The teams then battled back and forth, and despite a 5-0 edge in corner kicks for UIU, the game remained 1-0 as both teams headed into the locker room.

In the second half, Southwest Baptist started to get more attempts on offense. The visitors led in the final 45 minutes 11-5 in shot attempts, but two were placed on frame. Upper Iowa took advantage of their limited opportunities in the second half, and capitalized with two more goals. The first came in the 55th minute, when senior Ruairidh Crawford scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season after Italo Martins Soares sent a pass to Seth Russell, who then gave it off for Crawford. The veteran then converted the goal to put Upper Iowa up 2-0. The lead grew in the 74th minute when Martins Soares scored his seventh goal of the year on an assist from Russell. UIU led 3-0 at that point and the game was all but over.

SBU managed to get a goal back in the 78th minute when their team leader in goals Emmanuel Poblano scored to get the visitors on the board. However, it was too late, as Upper Iowa played solid defense and held on to the ball to preserve the victory. The win is the first of the season for UIU in the MIAA, and their seventh of the year as they close out the season.

Connor Rortvedt capped off an incredible year, as he added three more saves to bring his season total to 96. The senior wraps up his career third all-time in program history with 316 stops.

The team says goodbye to their four seniors, Rortvedt, Crawford, Ryan Crabtree, and Tim Brackett. The team will bring back key players at key positions, including Martins Soares and Russell. Morgan returns in the middle and Cameron Bosacki returns on the backline. Marko Cirko, Dylan Mientus, Manny Aparicio, Efrain Gonzalez Jr., Jeff Battion, and Tate Lofdahl are back next season as well.