The Peacock women's soccer team left the friendly confines of Pattison Field in Fayette for the first time in 2019 on Friday. Upper Iowa traveled north into Minnesota to compete at Bemidji State University. The Beavers are the reigning NSIC Conference Champions after going 14-0-1 in NSIC matches in 2018 including a 5-1 win over UIU last season.
Upper Iowa scored the game's first goal in the 14
th minute, but the home team got the equalizer in the 27
th minute and then claimed the eventual game winner in the 59
th minute. BSU scored the 2-1 victory to improve to 3-2-1 overall and 2-0-1 in the Northern Sun, while UIU fell to 0-4-2 overall and 0-2-1 against NSIC foes.
As the teams felt each other out through the first nine minutes, the Peacocks were first to get on the offensive.
Facienne Graham took a shot that went wide in the 10
th minute, but Graham came back for more at the 13:01 mark. Graham put the ball to the back of the net for her first goal of the season on an assist from
Jessica Kron.
Bemidji State tied the match 13 minutes later when Alanna Mattson finished an assist by Sara Wendt. The game-winning goal came early in the second half as Melanie Peltier scored an unassisted goal.
Natalie Rudrud made 7 saves in goal for UIU, while Graham and Kron each took 3 shots.
Turning Point… After Upper Iowa scored their second goal of the season in the 14
th minute, the Beavers secured an answer in the 27
th minute to tie the score. Eventually, the Beavers broke through for the game winner in the second half. UIU's goal in the first half was also the first time that UIU has marked the scoreboard in the opening minutes and their first lead of the season.
Peacocks of the Game… Graham and Kron both played well on the offensive end combining for the Peacock goal and each firing three shots toward the Beaver goalkeeper.
Stats of the Game… Bemidji State claimed three slight advantages in the game including shots (16-10), shots of goal (9-6) and corner kicks (6-3).
Quotables… "This was a tough loss to take against last year's conference champions. We started so well, which we talked about doing, by scoring a tremendous goal from Facienne. We had more opportunities as well. I thought the first goal we conceded was easily preventable and was disappointed to concede a second goal in the second half. We pushed hard at the end and their goalkeeper made an incredible save in the last seconds. It's disappointing not to come away with something, but we are definitely looking ahead to Sunday's match. We must now get a positive result from the action in two days." –
James Price, Head Women's Soccer Coach
Up Next… The Peacocks will travel to Crookston, Minn. to face the Golden Eagles of the University of Minnesota Crookston at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Fans not able to attend the game can follow through live stats and a webcast at UIUPeacocks.com/Live or by streaming the match on their televisions through the NSIC app.
