The Upper Iowa men's soccer program picked up a 3-0 victory against the University of Missouri - St. Louis to open their 2021 fall season in St. Louis, Mo. In securing their first win since the 2018 season, the Peacocks start their campaign with a 1-0 record while the Tritons fall to 0-1.
In a season-opening match for both squads, the Peacocks and Tritons played a physical first half that was full of action but devoid of scoring through the first 44 minutes of play. The Peacocks were scoreless after their first six shots of the half while the Tritons were blanked through their first five shots, but a header from junior forward
Stan Cargill put UIU up 1-0 with just 22 seconds left on the first-half clock. Cargill's goal came off an assist from senior
Alan Dunlop on a beautiful cross that came just seconds after an identical Dunlop cross that resulted in a shot from
Cain Smith that was blocked.
Having secured the lead late in the first, Upper Iowa opened the second half with smart, defensive play as they looked to maintain their lead. After a first half that saw 11 fouls with two yellow cards from UMSL and seven fouls with one yellow card from UIU, both teams cleaned things up in the second half as UMSL (two more yellow cards) and UIU (one more yellow card) each only had four fouls. The second half also saw the Peacocks go from seven shots to four and the Tritons from five shots to three, but the Peacocks made the most of their second-half opportunities. After a blocked shot on the other end, UIU's
Tate Lofdahl corralled a long ball and put home a shot from the corner of the box to give Upper Iowa a 2-0 advantage in the 76th minute. UMSL was held without a shot for the final 15 minutes of the game and
Italo Martins Soares announced his return as he handled a bad clearance attempt and scored a goal in the final minute of his first game back with UIU after not playing in 2020.
The 3-0 final marked Upper Iowa's first victory since the final game of their 2018 season as they open a season at 1-0 for the first time since the 2017 campaign.
PEACOCKS OF THE GAME...
- Stan Cargill came off the bench and scored the deciding goal in the 45th minute.
- Tate Lofdahl converted his only shot attempt to put UIU up 2-0.
- Italo Martins Soares capped off the match with a goal in the 90th minute and led the attack with three shots.
- Freshman GK Alejo Prieto held UMSL scoreless with three saves to secure the shutout win.
COACH'S QUOTES... "Can't say enough about the lads' effort today and how they played under tough conditions. We thoroughly deserved the result today and it took us sticking together as a team to make it happen. Every member of this squad has been pushing to make results go in our direction, and we have now seen that dedication paying off.
All three of the goals were of a high quality and the standard of execution by the team was excellent. Also, us getting that clean score sheet will give our defense a massive lift and a boost of confidence as we move into the next games.
A massive thank you must go to the support and fans of our program. They have stuck by us and we feel the support from you all...near and far. We have taken a big step, but we all know we have more to work on and can improve." - Head Coach,
Willie McGowan
UP NEXT... The Peacocks stay in Missouri as they head to Kirskville to face Truman State University at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Sep. 5.
