THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK MEN'S SOCCER… The Upper Iowa men's soccer team returns to Fayette to host a pair of conference matches against GLIAC foes. The Peacocks are set to face Saginaw Valley State University on Friday, Sep. 24 at 1 p.m. on Pattison Field before matching up against Northwood University on Sunday, Sep. 26 at 10:30 a.m. on their home pitch.

LIVE COVERAGE OPTIONS… Live stats and a webcast for the matches will be available through the links at UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE and included with this story. 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. Locally, Friday's match is scheduled to be broadcast on KCRG-TV 9.2, while Sunday's match is scheduled to be broadcast on Eastern Iowa's CW 9.3.

DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAM… Upper Iowa will not be printing gameday programs this season. Fans can access the interactive and digital gameday program at any time at UIUPeacocks.com/Programs. The digital programs are available to fans both at our games and those at home listening to or watching the action. QR Codes will also be located around the field to scan with your cell phone's camera that will link you directly to that game's specific digital gameday program.

GLIAC SERVES UP ROCKY ROAD... The Peacocks suffered a pair of setbacks to their impressive 3-0 start in non-conference play after falling in two tough conference matches on the road. Upper Iowa opened their GLIAC schedule in Hammond, Ind. against Purdue University - Northwest, falling by a score of 3-0. The Pride were able to apply pressure in the first half with a 6-3 advantage in shots taken and a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks, but both goalkeepers saved the only two shots that each team put on goal as the game remained scoreless through 45 minutes of play. Purdue-Northwest drew a foul and scored on the ensuing free kick in the 54th minute to take a 1-0 lead in the second period. The Peacocks took some self-inflicted damage in the 72nd minute as an own goal doubled the PNW lead to 2-0. Upper Iowa took the next three shots of the match as they tried to cut into their deficit, but the next goal came from Purdue-Northwest in the 87th minute to swell the lead to 3-0 and clinch the win for PNW.

Against Davenport, UIU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a nifty goal from Italo Martins Soares at the 1:45 mark. After receiving a give-and-go pass from Martins Soares, Paal Vistnes played a nice ball into the box that Martins Soares was able to get a touch on off the back of his heel to claim the early advantage. DU evened the score in the 19th minute on a header that bounced over a leaping Alejo Prieto as the UIU goalkeeper was unable to deflect DU's first shot on goal. The score stayed tied at 1-1 for the remainder of the first half despite UIU holding a 7-2 advantage in shots, with each team putting two shots on goal. Upper Iowa reclaimed the lead early in the second period as Marcus DeLeon put a shot past the goalkeeper in the 55th minute after an assist from Martins Soares. The Panthers answered for the second time in the match, tying the score at 2-2 at the 59:20 mark. Carson Cajuste had an immediate opportunity to retake the lead at the 60:58 mark, but his shot hit the crossbar. Martins Soares took Upper Iowa's next promising attempt in the 76th minute, but his shot bounced off the right goalpost. Davenport was fouled on a counterattack after the miss and took advantage as they crossed the ball into the box and headed in the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute that proved to be the difference in a 3-2 win for DU.

The Peacocks are still searching for their first win as a program in the high-powered Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as they move into their third season with the GLIAC.

THE IT(ALO) FACTOR... Italo Martins Soares has paced the Peacock offensive attack this season as he leads the team in points (7), goals (3), and shots (14). The forward tied for the match-lead with three shots and two shots on goal against Purdue-Northwest, leading the Peacocks in the process. Against Davenport, the Brasília, Brazil native put the Peacocks ahead early as his team-leading third goal of the season came in the second minute. The senior also added an assist while tying for the UIU lead with three shots in the match. Martins Soares now has 18 goals in his Peacock career, sitting just four behind Ryan Pinkerton (22) for fourth and five behind Joey Gay (23) in UIU's program history.

CLIPPING THE CARDINALS... Saginaw Valley State University comes into their matchup against the Peacocks with a 4-2 (1-1 GLIAC) record. The Cardinals are 1-2 in their last three matches following a 3-0 start to the season and were shut out in a 1-0 loss in overtime against GLIAC opponent, the University of Wisconsin - Parkside, in their previous match. SVSU has out-shot their opponents by a 128-59 margin, including a 57-23 advantage in shots on goal. The Cardinals outscored their opponents 13-2 over their first three matches but have only scored three goals in their last three outings as a pair of shutout losses sandwiched a 3-0 win for SVSU. In their last time out, SVSU was unable to convert a 10-shot advantage as the University of Wisconsin - Parkside withstood the attack and picked up a 1-0 win in overtime. Saginaw Valley State was picked to finish first in the 2021 GLIAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll following an 8-1 (7-0 GLIAC) record last season that saw the Cardinals named as the GLIAC regular-season champions. SVSU is 4-0 all-time against UIU and claimed a 4-0 win in their last match in the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals on Apr. 22, 2021.

TAMING THE TIMBERWOLVES... Northwood University holds a record of 1-4-1 (0-1-1 GLIAC) on the season. The Timberwolves fell by a score of 4-1 against Wisconsin - Parkside in their first GLIAC match before ending with a 1-1 tie after 110 minutes of play against Northern Michigan University. Northwood has been out-shot 89-54 by their opponents, which includes a 58-30 deficit in shots on goal. The Timberwolves have been outscored 17-9 but have avoided being shut out as they have scored at least once in each match. NU's lone win was a 3-0 shutout over Lake Erie College. Goalkeeper Robert Gjelaj's 40 saves lead the GLIAC by a wide margin as the next highest total is 15. Northwood tied with GLIAC newcomers, St. Cloud State University, for sixth in the 2021 GLIAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll, ranking one spot ahead of Upper Iowa. NU is 3-0 all-time against UIU and secured a 3-2 win in their last matchup against the Peacocks on Mar. 14, 2021. The Timberwolves are scheduled to face St. Cloud State prior to their matchup with the Peacocks.

LOOKING AHEAD… The Peacocks head to Dubuque, Iowa to play a reserve match on Monday, Sep. 27, before continuing the second half of their four-game homestand against Northern Michigan University on Friday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. and against the University of Wisconsin - Parkside on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. in what will be Upper Iowa's homecoming weekend.

2021 Team Leaders	POINTS	GOALS	ASSISTS	SHOTS	SAVES
UPPER IOWA	Martins Soares - 7	Martins Soares - 3	Dunlop - 2	Martins Soares - 14	Prieto - 10
SAGINAW VALLEY	Walker - 10	Walker - 4	Bruce - 4	Barlow - 24	Harley - 13
NORTHWOOD	Quinn - 5	Four tied w/ - 2	Five tied w/ - 1	Clark - 9	Gjelaj - 40