THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S SOCCER… Upper Iowa (1-1, 0-0 NSIC) begins 2018 Northern Sun Conference play this week with a tilt against Winona State University on Sep. 6 before welcoming the Bulldogs from Truman State University on Sunday, Sep. 9 to Pattison Field. The Peacocks are coming off a split last week when they hosted the Peacock Classic on Pattison Field, defeating Fort Hays State 1-0 on Thursday before falling to Washburn 1-0 on Saturday afternoon.
SEASON OPENING VICTORY… A header by
Hannah Dotter off a corner kick by
Joline Hellstroem gave UIU the lone score of the match against Fort Hays State and the season opening shutout. Freshman goalkeeper
Natalie Rudrud posted six saves on 14 shots in her debut performance for the Peacocks. Along with Rudrud, a strong defensive unit led by
Molly Doran and
Jessica Kron aided UIU in its first shutout of 2018.
STRONG GOALKEEPING… Natalie Rudrud, NSIC Goalkeeper of the Week, has filled the void for the Peacocks quite well thus far. The Andover, Minn. native recorded her first career shutout against Fort Hays State and posted 16 saves while allowing just one goal on the opening weekend to record an impressive .941 save percentage. Head Coach
James Price says Rudrud has come up with a lot of key saves already – including a big save on a penalty kick against Washburn – and the team has a lot of confidence in Rudrud protecting the net.
THE SERIES… After settling for a draw last season, Upper Iowa is 3-8-1 all-time against Winona State. UIU is looking for its first win in the series since 2016 when the Peacocks topped the Warriors with a 2-0 decision. The Peacocks will look to duplicate what they did in 2016 - the last time they started 1-0 in league play. On Sunday afternoon, UIU will face Truman State for the first time in program history.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS…
vs. WINONA STATE… The Warriors are officially kicking off the 2018 season against the Peacocks on Thursday afternoon under the direction of new head coach Matt Kellogg. WSU was picked to finish eighth in the NSIC preseason coaches' poll after a 9-9-1 overall record and 8-6-1 mark in the conference in 2017. Abby Bohanski, the 2015 NSIC Freshman of the Year and three-time All-Conference pick, returns for the Warriors after ranking fifth in the NSIC in points (22) and goals (8) last season. Other key returners include Chase Rehm, Camryn Cadiz and Jourdan Valkner.
vs. TRUMAN STATE… The Bulldogs (2-0) are coming off a perfect weekend in Kirksville, Mo. where they topped Davenport 2-0 and Southwest Baptist 4-0. Before the trip to Fayette, Truman State will face Northwest Missouri State on Friday, Sep. 7. In the debut against Davenport, Paige Peterson and Hanna Lijergren each scored a goal in the second half to give the Bulldogs the season opening shutout. Katie Vollmer led the team against Southwest Baptist with two goals, while Hanna Liljegren recorded her second goal of the weekend and Jen Seithel added a late score.
