Box Score Upper Iowa has concluded their non-conference season with an undefeated record following their victory against the Monmouth Fighting Scots.
 
Upper Iowa started a slightly different starting XI as multiple starters have gone down with injuries. Junior defender Ethan Bird made his first start of the season while sophomore goalkeeper JJ Gonzalez-Hayes made the first start of his collegiate career as senior Archie Watts went down with an injury in the last game. Gonzalez-Hayes saw 13 minutes of action in UIU's tie with Mount Mercy where he made two phenomenal saves. Graduate assistant coach Roberto Hernandez coached his first ever game at the helm as head coach Jason Carlson missed today's game due to a red card in the Peacocks previous matchup.
 
Graduate defender Daigo Adachi and junior midfielder David Mateo Porras Rodriguez both had great chances to score within the first ten minutes of the game, but their shots were saved. Bird and junior midfielder Frider Blunck nearly headed the ball into the net in the 22^nd minute, but Monmouth's defense stepped up and forced the Peacocks shot out of bounds. Monmouth would capitalize on their first shot of the game as freshman midfielder Kristofer Ruiz-Camarena scored his first goal of the season from the top of the box in the 29^th minute.
 
This goal lit a fire under the Peacocks as they would score just 20 seconds later. UIU dribbled right down the field and graduate forward Thomas Walle picked up his first assist as a lobbed a pass from the left side to Blunck, who bounced the ball off his chest and kicked it in while being surrounded by four defenders. This would be Blunck's third goal of the season, and he is now the Peacocks leading scorer… for about four minutes. After assisting on Blunck's goal Walle also decided he wanted to join the three-goal club and he scored from inside the box in the 33^rd minute, giving Upper Iowa the lead. Sophomore forward Fabio Bender nearly scored his first goal of the season in the 42^nd minute but freshman goalkeeper Alejandro Zamarripa made a diving save. The Peacocks dominated possession in the first half and went into the locker room with a 2-1 lead.
 
The Peacocks continued their aggressive play to start the second half as they took four corner kicks and multiple shots on goal within the first ten minutes. A Peacock foul gave Monmouth a free kick in the 60^th minute which Ruiz-Camarena kicked into the back of the net for his second goal of the game. Monmouth nearly scored again just two minutes later but Gonzalez-Hayes made a huge save keeping the game tied at two apiece.
 
The decision to give Bird his first start of the season definitely turned out to be the right move as he headed in his first career goal in the 68^th minute off a corner kick assist from Rodriguez. This would be Rodriguez's third assist of the season, which ties him with Adachi for most assists on the team. Walle would nearly score off another corner kick in the 73^rd minute as his shot made it past the goalie before rolling out of bounds right next to the goal. Just one minute later assists leader Adachi would lob a pass to fellow assists leader Rodriguez who kicked his shot into the top of the goal giving the Peacocks a 4-2 lead which would be the final score of the game.
 
The Peacocks have wrapped up non-conference play with a very impressive 3-0-1 record while scoring at least four goals in three different games. They will look to achieve similar success in the GLVC, and their first conference game will be this Sunday, Sep. 17 at 12 p.m. against Truman State.