THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S SOCCER… Upper Iowa plays their final match on Pattison Field on Friday against the University of Sioux Falls before traveling to line up against Southwest Minnesota State University on Sunday in Marshall, Minn. The Peacocks enter the weekend with 12 points in the conference standings and stand alone in 10th place out of the 16 NSIC teams thanks to their 3-6-3 record in conference. Sioux Falls has notched 7 points this season with a NSIC mark of 2-9-1, while Southwest Minnesota State is in a tie for 8th with Winona State University at 18 points and a 6-6 conference mark. The Peacocks are chasing both the Warriors and Mustangs for the final spot in the NSIC Championships.
 
LAST WEEKEND AT HOME… The Peacocks defeated Minot State University by a 2-0 score thanks to goals by Leah Willenbring and Aimee Sies. The shutout was the third of the season for goalie Natalie Rudrud and the defense. On Sunday, the Peacocks honored their seniors prior to the match and then lost a heartbreaker in double overtime, 2-1, to the University of Mary. Jayna Morikawa scored a goal for the Peacocks, her career first score, with three minutes to play in the match. The Marauders got the game winner with in the second overtime period to end the match.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET… In 2018, the Peacocks dropped both matches on the road to the Cougars and Mustangs. The Cougars scored a quick goal, but UIU got the equalizer in the second half. As UIU pushed and extended their offense for the game winner, the home team was able to score two goals in the final ten minutes to post the 3-1 win. After a scoreless first half with the Mustangs, SMSU got loose for a pair of goals in the second half to sink the Peacocks 2-0 in the final match of the season.
 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS… USF has recorded wins against MSU Moorhead (1-0) and Minnesota Crookston (4-1). One of their most impressive matches that did not result in a win was their home match against in-city rival Augustana. The Cougars were able to battle tooth-and-nail on their home pitch with the 2018 NCAA Central Region participant, and took the heavy offensive-minded Vikings to a 0-0 tie. The Cougars are led offensively by freshman Grace Held, the scorer of two goals for the Cougars. Eight other Cougars have scored a goal on the season. Junior Olivia Valdez leads the team with two assists. Senior Brayden Paul has handled most of the minutes as of recently, having allowed only 10 goals and recording 42 saves in 468 minutes.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS… SMSU snapped a five-game losing streak on Friday with a thrilling 3-2 victory in double overtime, led by a hat-trick from Alli Miskowiec, the second in her career. Miskowiec was named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for her performance. SMSU then defeated St. Cloud State 2-1 on Sunday to cap off a 2-0 weekend.  SMSU is tied with Winona State in the eight spot in the NSIC. Alli Miskowiec leads the team in scoring with eight goals, 21 points, 48 shots with 28 of them on goal. Abbey Hoisington leads the team in assists with seven.
 
UP NEXT… The Peacocks close out the regular season on Friday, Nov. 8 at Winona State University. UIU and WSU will get together for the match at 5 p.m. in Winona, Minn.