THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S SOCCER... The Upper Iowa women's soccer team kicks off the 2017 season on the road for the second straight year with a pair of games against Washburn University and Fort Hays State University. The Peacocks open up with the Ichabods on Thursday, Aug. 31, and then battle the Tigers on Saturday, Sept. 2. UIU met the same two opponents to open the 2016 season, at the SMSU Mustang Classic in Marshall, Minn.
WE MEET AGAIN... UIU will be playing Washburn for the second time since moving up to NCAA Division II, and topped the Ichabods 2-1 to open 2016, while the Peacocks are 1-1 all-time against Fort Hays State, dropping a 3-0 decision last season.
PRE-SEASON POLL... Upper Iowa has been picked to finish 9th this season in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Upper Iowa heads into its second season under Head Coach
James Price in 2017. The Peacocks are coming off an 8-10 overall mark and a 7-8 conference season, which resulted in an eighth-place place finish in the NSIC. UIU earned its sixth trip to the NSIC Women's Soccer Tournament in the last seven seasons, and throughout the year picked up upset wins over No. 13 Winona State and key wins over Wayne State and St. Cloud State to earn a post-season spot.
RETURNERS... The team said goodbye to key seniors, but return a core of talent to the roster, including NSIC Players to Watch
Birgit Rijnders and
Rachel Fowler. Rijnders is the leader in scoring amongst returners, scoring three goals and adding three assists for nine points. She joins
Jordyn Ostrowski,
Laura Murray, and
Corel Carmichael as key returners on offense. Defensively, the Peacocks return senior goalkeeper
Caila Petrie, who tallied 97 saves in over 1,620 minutes last season. The back line includes Fowler along with the return of 2015 All-NSIC Honorable Mention performer
Mikayla Nassy-Wong, who played just six games last season prior to her season-ending injury.
Charlotte Ryan,
Mayte Van Hees,
Hannah Dotter,
Kelsey Hall, and
Brittany Beckman also headline returners on the defensive side. In the middle, UIU will see the likes of
Gaby Diaz,
Maddie North, and
Lia Passini return in 2017 as well.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS...
vs. WASHBURN... The Ichabods are heading into 2017 with a familiar team on the pitch, with nine regulars starters returning from 2016, but under new direction. First-year head coach Davy Phillips brings a track record of success from his past position at Baker University, leading his Wildcats to a 44-16-6 record in three years as head coach. Phillips is taking over a team on the rise, going from a winless campaign in 2014 to a 9-9-1 record last season. He will be aided in his first year by the on-field leadership exhibited by an experienced squad with six seniors in the starting lineup, three of which earned all-conference honors in 2016.
vs. FORT HAYS STATE... The Tigers are coming off arguably one of its best seasons as it claimed a share of the MIAA regular season crown, while also earning only its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers advanced to the round of 16 in 2016, falling to Central Missouri 1-0. With a new season on the horizon, FHSU were tabbed fourth in the MIAA Coaches' Preseason Poll. Another history marking of this season is the No. 14 national ranking the 2017 squad was given. This is the first-ever national ranking for the women's program.
