The Upper Iowa men's soccer team could not extend their program-best GLIAC campaign after falling by a score of 5-0 against Purdue University - Northwest in Hammond, Ind. The Peacocks end their season with a 10-7-1 (7-6-1 GLIAC) record while the Pride (9-8-1, 7-6-1 GLIAC) move onto the GLIAC Tournament Semifinals.
The Peacocks and Pride opened their postseason match with patient play early as the teams spent the first ten minutes in a feeling-out process. Purdue-Northwest took the first shot of the match at the 10:39 mark, but the attempt was off the mark. The next offensive action did not come until the 19th minute, when the Pride put together a dangerous offensive sequence over a two-minute stretch. PNW earned three consecutive corner kicks and turned each one into a shot from the 12:24 mark to the 20:46 mark, but the UIU defense held firm to thwart the attack.
Upper Iowa's first shot came from
Alan Dunlop in the 23rd minute, but the attempt sailed high.
Marcus DeLeon took UIU's next attempt and managed to put a shot on goal, but PNW's Sebastian Contreras saved the shot. The Pride earned a fourth corner kick in the 28th minute and put in the first goal of the match on the set piece at the 28:21 mark to take a 1-0 lead.
The teams traded shots in the 32nd and 33rd minutes as
Frider Blunck took a shot for UIU ahead of a shot on goal from PNW that
Osvaldo Alonzo was able to save. The next shot of the match came from the Pride at the 36:07 mark, and the attempt found the back of the net to double the PNW lead to 2-0 before the end of the first half.
In the second period, Purdue-Northwest went on the offensive early as they took a shot just 1:39 into the half and were whistled for two offside penalties before turning an attack into a third goal at the 50:29 mark. The Pride earned a corner kick and took an off-target shot in the 53rd minute before the first Peacock shot of the half from
Cain Smith in the 55th minute. PNW's next two shots were on goal, but Alonzo secured saves on each attempt. The Pride pushed their lead to 4-0 at the 78:12 mark after an assist from Isaiah Nieves as the GLIAC's leader in dimes assisted on three of the first four goals on scored on the other. Purdue-Northwest kept the pressure on and quickly increased their advantage to 5-0 at the 80:07 mark.
DeLeon took the next shot of the match, and
Erick Lopez put UIU's first shot on goal of the half at the 84:53 mark, but the score remained 5-0 after full time as Upper Iowa's postseason tournament came to a close.
Upper Iowa's 10-7-1 (7-6-1 GLIAC) record on the season is their best finish as members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. It is UIU's best record since a 2015 campaign that saw them finish 13-4-1 (6-2 MIAA), win the conference tournament, and make a run to the NCAA DII Sweet 16. The Peacocks finished the regular season tied for the fourth-best record in the GLIAC after being voted to finish last in the GLIAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll ahead of the 2021 campaign.
The game also marks head coach
Willie McGowan's last at the helm for Upper Iowa. He will remain a Peacock as he moves to a full-time role as the Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance.
PEACOCKS OF THE GAME...
STATS OF THE GAME...
- The first half ended with a 9-3 advantage in shots for Purdue-Northwest, and they finished the match with an 18-8 shot advantage that included an 8-2 margin in shots on goal.
- The Pride earned a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks in the first half and finished the match with a 7-1 mark over the Peacocks.
COACH'S QUOTES... "It's always a sad day when the season is over, as you always want one more game to play. I'm very proud of the way the guys have gone about their duties this whole season, and we have a lot to look forward to as this team will continue to develop and create a bright future for themselves.
On their day, Purdue can beat anybody, and alongside us, they are the most under-rated team in the GLIAC. Today, they made very few mistakes for us to try and capitalize on, and they were brutal on capitalizing off of ours. They are well-structured defensively and were deadly on set pieces today and at stretching our defense.
On a personal note, I want to say a big thank you to the fans, alumni, family, friends, and the squad as a whole for their efforts, attitude, and support this season. Our seniors leave here having rebuilt a program from the ground up, and I'll be forever thankful for the support and efforts of our leaders in the group for doing that. Liam and Charlie have been a breath of fresh air for myself and the program, and they will continue that moving forward. We finish the 2021 season in a good place and with a bright future." - Head Coach,
Willie McGowan
