The Mustangs scored in the dying seconds of the first period and added an insurance goal in the second to steal the season finale victory from the Peacocks. Upper Iowa finishes the 2018 season with a 3-13-2, 2-11-2 NSIC mark while Southwest Minnesota State University broke a eight game losing streak to finish the season at 4-13, 4-11 NSIC.
In a quiet first half that didn't see many threats from either side, the Mustangs would be the only team to get on the board. With the clock winding down, SMSU was able to create quite a bit of chaos in the box which proved to be too much for the Peacock defense. Alli Miskowiec took a ball from Abbey Hoisington to the back of the net with just one second left in the period to take a 1-0 Mustang lead into the half.
Upper Iowa came out of the half hoping to find the equalizer with six unanswered shots and a trio of corners. Laura Murray put two on frame and Molly Doran added a third in the effort. UIU outshot their opponents 14-11 in the second half but the Mustangs scored an insurance tally off the foot of Erin Fisher to make the score 2-0 with 12 minutes to play. Jordyn Ostrowski took a pair of shots late in the game but the Peacocks weren't able to cut into the score.
Ostrowski and Murray led the team on senior day with three shots a piece and two on-goal from Murray. Eleven different Peacocks got into the shooting column en route to a season-high 16 shot attempts from UIU. Rudrud finished the afternoon with seven saves to give her 129 saves - the fifth highest season total in program history - and a .806 save percentage. Samuels finished the season as the team's lead scorer with five goals but was held to just one shot against the Mustangs.
Upper Iowa will miss the postseason for just the third time in the last seven seasons, and will say goodbye to seven seniors in Corel Carmichael, Hannah Dotter, Kelsey Hall, Murray, Ostrowski, Lia Passini, and Mayte Van Hees. UIU will bring back a group of talent that saw several minutes this season led by this season's lead-scorer Samuels, goalkeeper Rudrud and defensive threat Aimee Sies. Maida Alijagic, Molly Doran, Facienne Graham, Jessica Kron, Jayna Morikawa, and Victoria Sanchez will return as the 2019 senior class. Other returners that saw action in 2018 include Joline Hellstroem, Emily Hooper, Haley Ramberg, Mara Russell, and Liz Tank.
