THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK MEN'S SOCCER… The Upper Iowa University men's soccer team is set to see St. Cloud State University on Saturday, Oct. 9 in St. Cloud, Minn., at 3 p.m. for the first-ever GLIAC matchup between the programs.

LIVE COVERAGE OPTIONS… We've got you covered with several live options while the Peacocks are on the road. Live stats and webcasts produced by St. Cloud State will be available through the links included with this story and at UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE. The contests will also stream live on the new NSIC Network app through Roku and Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android TV. Search for "NSIC Network" to find the app on your relevant device.

HAVE A HAPPY HOMECOMING... The Peacocks bookended Upper Iowa's Homecoming Weekend with a pair of impressive wins over GLIAC opponents on Pattison Field. Friday's match saw UIU claim a 3-0 shutout victory over Northern Michigan University before winning 3-1 against the University of Wisconsin-Parkside on Sunday. Against NMU, the Peacocks powered through a physical match and scored three goals in the second half while holding the Wildcats scoreless. Cain Smith (52') got the scoring started in the second half before Italo Martins Soares (73') and Carson Cajuste (87') tacked on insurance goals to give UIU its second straight GLIAC win. UIU held the Wildcats to just two shots in the match, and neither attempt was on target. Upper Iowa had a 6-0 (two on goal) shot advantage in the first half and an 11-2 (five on goal) advantage in the second period.

Against UWP, Upper Iowa won its third straight GLIAC contest against a Wisconsin-Parkside team that entered the match with the best overall record in the conference and the second-best mark in GLIAC play. The Peacocks neutralized a Parkside offensive attack that had been averaging three goals per game as the Rangers were held to just one goal that came on a penalty kick. Stan Cargill (29') opened the scoring in the first half before Duarte Fonte (64') put UIU up 2-0 in the second period. A Rangers PK made it 2-1, but Martins Soares iced the match with his goal in the 80th minute. With the two wins, the Peacocks improved to a 6-3 record on the season that includes a 3-3 mark in the high-powered Great Lakes Conference. UIU started the season with three consecutive non-conference victories before getting off to an 0-3 start in GLIAC play, but Upper Iowa has returned to its winning ways with this three-match winning streak.

ASSISTS & DEFENSE FOR AD... Alan Dunlop was a major contributor in Upper Iowa's two wins against Great Lakes Conference opponents over the UIU Homecoming Weekend. Against Northern Michigan, the Glasgow, Scotland native assisted Cain Smith on UIU's go-ahead goal at the 51:05 mark and helped the defense lock down a 3-0 shutout win. Against Wisconsin-Parkside, Dunlop dished out two assists for the Peacocks as his pass to Stan Cargill in the 29th minute helped put Upper Iowa up 1-0 before another Dunlop dime to Italo Martins Soares in the 80th minute helped ice the match in UIU's 3-1 win. Dunlop helps lead an Upper Iowa defense that has allowed the third-fewest goals (14) in the GLIAC. The senior's seven assists rank second in the GLIAC, and he has recorded an assist in all but two of UIU's nine matches this season. Dunlop's two assists against UWP tied for the second-most in a match in UIU history, a mark that has been achieved 21 times. Derek Oelmann holds the record with three assists in a match in 2011. Dunlop only needs one more assist to tie for the most by a Peacock in a single season, as Oelmann (2008 season) and Jacob Rasbeck (2006 season) are tied for the top spot with eight.

IN THE ALON-ZONE... Osvaldo Alonzo has had a major impact on Upper Iowa's winning ways over the last three matches. Since coming off the bench and playing a scoreless final 8:23 against Davenport University on Sep. 19, the goalkeeper has made three consecutive starts in goal for the Peacocks. Alonzo's first start against Northwood got out to a bumpy start as he allowed three goals in the first half, but he and the Peacocks turned things around with a 4-0 advantage in the second half to claim a 5-3 win that saw Alonzo secure seven saves. The Chatsworth, Georgia native continued that scoreless stretch into the next match as he and the UIU defense secured a 3-0 shutout win over Northern Michigan. In the last match, the Murray County HS product shut out a powerful Wisconsin-Parkside offense in the first half and finished the match with five saves and just one goal allowed, coming on a penalty kick, in UIU's 3-1 win. Alonzo ranks fourth in the GLIAC with a 1.29 goals-against average, and his .750 save percentage is tied for the third-best mark.

THE ITA-LO' DOWN ON MARTINS SOARES... Italo Martins Soares continues to pace the Peacock offensive attack with his impressive play. The forward leads Upper Iowa and is tied for second in the GLIAC with seven goals while ranking third in the conference with 17 points. Martins Soares' 28 shots also lead UIU while ranking fifth in the conference, and his three assists are the second-most for the Peacocks and tied for tenth-most in the conference. Against Northern Michigan, Martins Soares scored in the 73rd minute to put the Peacocks up 2-0 before they went on to win 3-0. Against Wisconsin-Parkside, the Brasília, Brazil native put the match out of reach to secure a 3-1 win for Upper Iowa with his goal in the 80th minute. Martins Soares also picked up an assist to Fonte to put UIU up 2-0, and the forward led the match with six shots in his 88 minutes of action. The senior leads an Upper Iowa offense that ranks third in the GLIAC in scoring with 20 goals, good for 2.22 per match. Martins Soares is climbing up the UIU record books as his 22 career goals are tied with Ryan Pinkerton for the fourth-most in program history. His 12 career goals are tied for fifth all-time, and his 56 career points rank fifth while being two away from taking sole possession of third place.

STACKING UP AGAINST ST. CLOUD... St. Cloud State University comes into their matchup against the Peacocks with a 3-6-1 (2-4-0 GLIAC) record. The Huskies are coming off a weekend in which they went 1-1 in a pair of home matches as they were narrowly defeated by Wisconsin-Parkside by a score of 3-2 before wrapping the weekend with a 3-1 win over Northern Michigan University. SCSU has been outscored by a 26-16 margin and allows the second-most goals in the GLIAC at 2.54 per match. The Huskies have been out-shot by a 147-103 margin that includes a 77-54 deficit in shots on goal, but their .524 shot on goal percentage is identical to their opponents, and they lead the GLIAC with 53 corner kicks. The SCSU offense is led by Andres Garcia, whose seven goals are tied with Martins Soares for the second-most in the conference despite playing just eight matches with four starts. Emmanuel Iwe leads the Huskies with 27 shots, is second with four goals, and tied for second with three assists. The Huskies have three goalkeepers with double-digit saves, though their saves leader (23) has not played the last two matches after compiling a 3.71 goals-against average and .590 save percentage. Matthew Janke has started the last two contests and allows 1.61 goals per game with a .706 save percentage. St. Cloud State is in their first year of men's soccer competition, and the Huskies were picked to finish seventh in the 2021 GLIAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll, one spot ahead of Upper Iowa. SCSU currently holds the sixth spot in the conference, one spot behind the fifth-place Peacocks. 

LOOKING AHEAD… The Peacocks are scheduled to play a reserve match on Sunday, Oct. 10, against Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, before returning home to Fayette for a pair of GLIAC matches in what will be UIU's Hall of Fame Weekend. The Peacocks will welcome a pair of foes to Pattison Field that they have played this season, starting with Davenport University on Friday, Oct. 15 at 2:30 p.m. before seeing Purdue University-Northwest on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 2:30 p.m.
 

2021 Team Leaders	POINTS	GOALS	ASSISTS	SHOTS	SAVES
UPPER IOWA	Martins Soares - 17	Martins Soares - 7	Dunlop - 7	Martins Soares - 28	Alonzo/Prieto - 12
ST. CLOUD STATE	Garcia - 14	Garcia - 7	Iwe/Pritchard - 3	Iwe - 27	Fairchild - 23