THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK SOCCER... The Upper Iowa men's soccer squad (1-3-0) begins conference play this weekend on the road. The first two GLIAC competitors they challenge are Northern Michigan and Parkside. The Peacocks kick off in Marquette, Mich. on Friday at 2 p.m. against the Wildcats. As they make their return south, the crew will take on the Rangers in Kenosha, Wis. on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
LIVE COVERAGE OPTIONS... Both matches will have a pair of live options available for fans who can't make it to Marquette and Kenosha. Both live stats (free) and a pay-per-view webcast (FloSports subscription) of each match will be available using the links above or by going to UIUPeacocks.com/Live
PEACOCK HUE REVIEW... In the previous week, the Peacocks saw their first win at Harms-Eischeid Stadium against Colorado Christian in a 1-0 final. In the 17th minute of the match, the Cougars couldn't connect on a pass back to their goalie, resulting in an own goal. This put the Peacocks up 1-0, which they held for the entire contest. Goalkeeper
Archie Watts kept on his haunches, seeing a total of 16 shots hurdled his way during competition. He recorded five saves in the match.
Upper Iowa traveled to Quincy University and fell to the Hawks in a 3-2 hard-fought battle. They were scoreless in the first half, but UIU ignited their offense shortly after the second half commenced, scoring in the 65th minute. The Peacocks tied the game 2-2 in the 87th minute, but the Hawks found the back of the net in the last remaining two minutes of the match, securing the 3-2 advantage. UIU's
Noah Gjervik and
Kehinde Afolabi each saw their first goal of the 2022 season.
NAVIGATING NORTHERN MICHIGAN... The Wildcats hold a 1-2-1 record on the 2022 season. They are currently looking to break a three-game winless streak. NMU tied Quincy University (2-2) and dropped to Lewis University (1-0). Most recently, they fell 2-1 against the University of Indianapolis. Offensively, Baruc Delgado leads the way with two goals on the season. Keegan Schmidt and Cian Tunney have each chipped in one. Tomasso Lami is at the forefront in the assist category, tallying two dimes on the season so far.
PRESSING PARKSIDE ... The Rangers sit 3-1-0 on the season so far, collecting wins against Quincy University (1-0), Lewis University (2-0) and most recently, Missouri St. Louis (1-0). Parkside was tabbed as the first place team in the GLIAC preseason coaches' poll. Parkside, who is led by 12th year head coach and 2021 GLIAC Coach of the Year Jason Zitzke, finished the 2021 season 15-4-2 overall, and 10-3-1 in the GLIAC. They won both the GLIAC regular season title and the GLIAC tournament title for the second time in the last three seasons and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Rangers will open conference play on Friday, Sept. 9 as they host St. Cloud State at Wood Road Field before welcoming Upper Iowa.
Parkside senior defender Henry Bruer-Schmadalla was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week. Henry Bruer-Schmadalla played a crucial role in the Rangers shutout win over Missouri-St. Louis on Friday. The Stuttgart, Germany native made several crucial defensive plays to limit shot opportunities for the Tritons. The reigning GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year has played a pivotal role in a back line that has allowed only two goals in their first four games.
TAILORED TIMELINE... In the upcoming week, Upper Iowa faces just one competitor. They will head back to Michigan to face Saginaw Valley State University on Friday, Sept. 23 at 11 a.m. Their next match following Saginaw will be here at Harms-Eischeid stadium in a conference battle against Purdue University Northwest. The game will take place on Friday, Sept. 23 at 6 p.m.
