The Upper Iowa men's soccer team played Saginaw Valley State University to a tie in Saginaw, Mich. With their first tie of the season, the Peacocks move to 8-5-1 (5-5-1 GLIAC) on the year, while the Cardinals move to 8-4-3 (5-3-3 GLIAC).
Saginaw Valley State put two shots on goal and earned a corner kick within the first ten minutes of the match, but
Osvaldo Alonzo made two saves and the UIU defense held firm early. The Peacocks took two shots, including one on goal, and two corner kicks over the next eight minutes, but the SVSU defense was able to match UIU and keep the scoreboard clean.
Upper Iowa took a couple more shots on goal and corner kicks over the ensuing minutes, but it was a shot from
Frider Blunck at the 35:52 mark that marked the first score of the match. Blunck's first goal of the season came after an assist from
Italo Martins Soares, and the score put UIU ahead 1-0 before the first half ended without any more action.
The Cardinals put three shots on goal and took a corner kick within the first ten minutes of the second period, but Alonzo saved all three shots as the UIU defense kept a clean sheet. The Peacocks answered with an offensive stretch of their own that saw them take four unanswered shots and a corner kick over the next ten minutes, but the UIU offense was unable to break through despite a shot on goal from Martins Soares.
Saginaw Valley State would notch the next score as their goal at the 67:56 mark tied the match at 1-1. The teams traded shots for the next 22 minutes, but the score stayed knotted at one goal apiece despite Upper Iowa getting two more shots on goal.
In extra time, SVSU took an off-target shot in the 93rd minute before a shot from UIU's Blunck was off the mark in the 95th minute. Neither team got a shot off until
Brady Drozdowski took a long attempt in the 100th minute as the Peacocks looked to score before the end of the first overtime, but the attempt was wide, and the teams went into the second OT period.
The Peacocks came out strong in the second overtime as
Cain Smith took a shot just 53 seconds in, but the attempt sailed high. UIU kept the pressure on with a corner kick in the 103rd minute, but the Upper Iowa offense was unable to convert. SVSU missed a shot in the 106th minute, and they had a dangerous pair of attacks late in the period as they earned corner kicks in the 108th and 109th minutes. The second corner led to a shot on goal from SVSU, but Alonzo was able to make a save and prevent the golden goal. The Cardinals took a last-ditch shot in the final seconds of the overtime period, but the score remained 1-1 through 110 minutes of play as the teams finished with a tie.
PEACOCKS OF THE GAME...
- Frider Blunck scored his first goal of the season in the 36th minute to put UIU ahead 1-0.
- Italo Martins Soares dished out an assist on Blunck's go-ahead goal, recording a point for the tenth consecutive match.
- Osvaldo Alonzo secured five saves on the six shots he faced, which is good for a .833 save percentage.
STATS OF THE GAME...
- The teams each notched five shots in the first half, and the Peacocks out-shot the Cardinals by a 10-6 margin in the second half. UIU had a 2-1 shot advantage in the first OT, and SVSU had a 3-1 shot advantage in the second OT.
COACH'S QUOTES... "
I thought we came out and played very well in the first half. We had some really good opportunities to score more than the one goal we had from that first half, and we just lacked a little composure on final passes or crosses to convert. In the second half, Saginaw saw more of the possession and they created and used the space well to put us under pressure. We had a couple of break-away opportunities and we could have nicked the game in both the overtime periods. We showed a lot of heart and solidarity throughout this weekend. These guys fight hard for each other and we have three more games left in the regular season. Hopefully we'll continue to focus and get a chance to see what happens in a conference tournament." - Head Coach,
Willie McGowan
UP NEXT... The Peacocks prepare for the final matches of their regular season as they face the University of Wisconsin - Parkside on Friday, Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m. in Kenosha, Wisc. before matching up against Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich. on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. Upper Iowa will conclude their season against St. Cloud State University at home in Fayette, Iowa on Thursday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. on Pattison Field.
