The No. 12 Peacock men's soccer team lost their first game of the season on Saturday afternoon in Bismarck, N.D. against the Yellow Jackets of Montana State University Billings in a double-overtime thriller. Upper Iowa trailed early in the match, but came back to tie the game just as time was running out in regulation to send the game to overtime. After a scoreless first overtime, MSUB scored three minutes into the second extra frame to win the match. With the loss, Upper Iowa drops to 3-1, while the win sends the Yellow Jackets to 2-4.

"We just didn't come to play to start the game and allowed Montana State Billings too much space and time on the ball," said Head Coach Willie McGowan. "We were much better in the second half as we worked harder and applied more pressure."

The first-half goal came in the 38th minute. MSUB was on the attack, and JD Hauenstein was on the receiving end of a double-assist goal, scoring from six yards away. The Yellow Jackets led 1-0, and outshot the Peacocks 8-3 in the half. Connor Rortvedt, despite giving up the goal, still tallied five first-half saves for UIU. The senior finished with 12 saves in the game.

In the second half, Upper Iowa held the advantage in shot attempts, 7-5, but struggled to convert anything into a goal, until time nearly expired. With just 23 seconds remaining in regulation, Rortvedt and Italo Martins Soares teammed up for assists on a goal scored by Marko Cirko. It was Cirko's first goal of the year, and he becomes the seventh different Peacock to score this season. The game went to overtime, and was far from over.

"That was a big moment for our team," McGowan added. "The equalizer was much deserved and I give a lot of credit to the lads for digging deep and showing their character."

In the first overtime period, MSUB got off three shot attempts, and UIU tallied two of their own. Each team responded defensively, as all five shots were saved by the respective goalkeepers. After 100 minutes of soccer, the game would move to the second overtime period.

Each team got a shot off early in the second extra frame, but when MSUB got the ball back, they were smelling the upset. The Yellow Jackets scored the game-winner in the 103rd minute when Luca Battistotti scored off a corner kick by Guillaume Kremer. The goal gave MSUB the 2-1 victory.

Corner kicks proved to be a difference in the game, as the Yellow Jackets held a 9-0 advantage in that category.

"We are obviously disappointed with the loss," McGowan said. "But we'll need to dig deeper as we move on. We had a number of positives out of the game and just fell short at the end. We are excited to get back out on the field."

The Peacocks will not have to wait long to get back on the exact same field, the University of Mary Soccer Field. The host Marauders will take on UIU on Monday, Sept. 18 at 12 p.m.