Upper Iowa's Katrina Kazluski was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week in the conference's first women's soccer weekly release of the 2021 season following a game-winning goal and strong defensive play in a 1-0 win over Missouri Southern State University.  Kazluski is Upper Iowa's first NSIC player of the week honoree of the young fall season and is the first women's soccer honoree since Natalie Rudrud won NSIC Goalkeeper of the Week honors in the final week of 2019's NSIC women's soccer competition before their 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic.

Kazluski made an immediate impact on both ends of the pitch in her first collegiate match. The freshman scored the go-ahead and game-winning goal at the 29:21 mark in the first half of UIU's 1-0 win over MSSU. After giving the Peacocks the lead, Kazluski helped lock the match down on the defensive end as she played the full 90 minutes. The Poplar Grove, Ill. native was part of a UIU defense that allowed just 12 shots with only five coming on goal, all of which were saved by Rudrud. The Lions finished the match with a 12-10 lead in shots taken, a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal, and a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks, but UIU made their chances count while stifling the MSSU attack to secure the shutout.

The win marked Upper Iowa's first since their most recent game in Nov. 2019 and is their first 1-0 start to a season since the 2018 campaign.

Next up, the Peacocks look to keep things rolling against the Rangers of the University of Wisconsin - Parkside at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sep. 12 in Kenosha, Wis.