The UIU women's soccer team drew a 1-1 tie after controlling much of the action on Friday afternoon against Minnesota State University Moorhead. The Peacocks put the game's first mark on the scoreboard in the 35
th minute, but the Dragons were able to get the equalizer in the 70
th minute and then held off an aggressive attack by the home team over the remainder of the contest to gain the tie. After the result, Upper Iowa is now 1-4-3 overall and 1-2-2 in the NSIC, while MSU Moorhead moves to 3-2-3 overall and 1-4-3 in the conference.
Upper Iowa's goal came in the 35
th minute off the head of
Haley Ramberg.
Leah Willenbring brought the ball down the right side and then let loose a shot that beat the goal keeper, but hammered off the top right corner of the crossbar and post. Ramberg chased down the ricochet in the box and finished the play with a header past the Dragon goalie to put UIU into the lead.
A few consecutive misplays in the Peacock backline allowed MSU Moorhead to take over on the ball deep into the box. Mckenzie Ickert had her back to the goal and the Upper Iowa defense was not quick enough to pressure her. Ickert chose her moment and spun to kick a shot past UIU's keeper,
Natalie Rudrud, from point blank range.
Kayleigh Selacek made 7 saves for the Dragons, while Rudrud picked up 8 saves in the match for UIU. Both goalies played 110 minutes between the pipes.
Turning Point… The Dragons began to put consistent pressure on the UIU defense after the midway point of the second half. After UIU gained control in the defensive midfield, a miscommunication and poor passing led to Ickert taking possession and heading toward the goal without much resistance. By the time the Peacocks got into possession, the Dragon attacker was too close to be denied as she knotted the score at 1-1.
Stat of the Game… Upper Iowa claimed a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks, but the Peacocks were unable to convert out of any of their set pieces.
Up Next… The Peacocks will welcome the Wolves of Northern State University on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 12 p.m. Fans that can't attend the game can follow the action at UIUPeacocks.com/Live.
