THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S SOCCER… Upper Iowa will carry their current three-match undefeated streak west to Nebraska and South Dakota to challenge Wayne State College in Wayne on Friday at 3 p.m. and Augustana University in Sioux Falls on Sunday at 1 p.m. UIU heads into the weekend tied for eighth place with a 2-4-3 mark overall and a 2-2-2 record (8 points) in the Northern Sun. Wayne State is in sixth place with an overall record of 3-3-3 and an NSIC mark of 3-2-1 (10 points). Augustana is at the top of the conference standings with a 5-0-1 mark, while the Vikings boast a 7-1-1 record overall.
 
LIVE OPTIONS… Fans unable to attend the matches can follow along via live stats and a webcast, links can be found at UIUPeacocks.com/Live. Both matches will also be streamed through the NSIC app on Roku and Amazon Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android televisions.

LAST WEEKEND AT HOME… The Peacocks drew with the Dragons of Minnesota State University Moorhead 1-1, but were able to outplay the Wolves of Northern State University for a 2-1 victory to close out the weekend. Haley Ramberg scored a goal in each match and now has three goals on the season. All three have come during UIU's current three-match streak. Katie Samuels scored the team's second goal against the Wolves on a penalty kick after Facienne Graham drew a penalty on a breakaway in the box.
 
BACKLINE STRENGTH… UIU's strength this season has been their back line defenders and goalkeeping. Defensive leaders Molly Doran, Aimee Sies and Katie Samuels, along with goalie Natalie Rudrud, have held opponents to 14 goals in their nine matches. Excluding the match against No. 3 Minnesota State University, Mankato, UIU has given up eight goals in eight matches including a pair of shutouts against Concordia University, St. Paul and the University of Minnesota Crookston. Rudrud has made 70 saves in UIU's net in 855 minutes for the Peacocks.

LAST TIME THEY MET… In 2018, the Peacocks lost to Wayne State 1-0, but managed to tie Augustana 1-1 in Fayette. The Wildcats and Peacocks match went into overtime when Sophia Ketchmark scored a goal just over a minute into the first overtime period. The WSC and UIU match was a defensive battle as each team only attempted five shots. Against the Vikings, the Peacocks scored the match's first goal when Ramberg put home a rebound in the 55^th minute. Upper Iowa nearly pulled off the upset, but the Vikings were able to get the equalizing goal with 23 seconds to play on a free kick. Neither team scored in the overtime periods.
 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS… Wayne State picked up four points in the conference standings on the road last weekend thanks to a 1-1 tie with St. Cloud State University and a 1-0 win over the University of Minnesota Duluth. Megan Philips put the Wildcats on the scoreboard first in St. Cloud, but the Huskies got the equalizer in the 81^st minute and both teams failed to find the back of the net in either overtime period. Abby Sutton score the Wildcat goal against Minnesota Duluth to snap a 0-0 tie in the sixth minute of the first overtime to snatch victory for WSC. The overtime win was Wayne State's second of the season; the Wildcats topped the University of Sioux Falls 1-0 in the second overtime in their first NSIC match of the season. Rylie Wehner leads the offense with two goals and an assist, while Gabi Rosa, Philips and Sutton have each scored one goal apiece. Through nine matches, the Wildcats have scored five goals, while allowing ten to their opponents. Rachel Grisham has been between the pipes for 861 minutes making 26 saves.
 
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS (from GoAugie.com)… The winning formula thus far for the Vikings has been a lock-down defense combined with timely offensive plays and both were showcased last weekend. Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Claudia Pueschner made all 17 save opportunities last weekend en route to shutouts against the Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State. She was named NSIC Goalkeeper of the Week for her efforts. Pueschner has now posted five shutouts in a row and six on the season. Senior Morgan Moe, fresh off of garnering NSIC Defensive Player of the Week honors, contributed on both sides of the ball. She has played every minute for the Vikings this season and scored the game-winning goal with just under 10 minutes against Minnesota Duluth last Friday. Offensively, senior forward Grace Behm leads the Vikings in game-winning goals with three, including her game-winner against St. Cloud State last Sunday. The senior also leads the Vikings in shots (31), shots on goal (19), and is tied for first in goals (4). Overall, the Vikings are scoring an average of 1.67 goals per game while allowing only .89 goals per game. The numbers certainly speak to their style of winning low-scoring affairs.
 
UP NEXT… The Peacocks will close out their four-match road swing next weekend with matches at St. Cloud State on Friday, Oct. 18 at 4 p.m. and at the Minnesota Duluth on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 12 p.m. UIU's next home matches will be on Friday and Sunday, Oct. 25 and 27 against Minot State University and the University of Mary.