THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S SOCCER… Upper Iowa hosts their first two conference games of the season. The Peacocks go up against Illinois-Springfield on Friday, Sep. 22 at 5 p.m. in the Alumni Recognition Game. Their Youth Day game will be held two days later on Sunday, Sep. 24 at 12 p.m. against Quincy.
LIVE COVERAGE OPTIONS… Upper Iowa offers numerous ways for you to stay connected to women's soccer this week. Webcasts for every game can be found through the GLVC website at https://glvcsn.com/uiu/. Live Stats and the Webcast can be found at https://uiupeacocks.com/coverage. Both links will be included with this story.
DEFENSIVE DYNAMOS… The Peacocks have played their best soccer of the season these past two games as they defeated Minnesota-Crookston 3-0 and began conference play with a 1-1 tie against Truman State. Sophomore goalkeeper Isabelle Wagner has had a splendid start to the season and she currently leads all GLVC goalkeepers with an average of 6.00 saves per game. Wagner also has one shutout on the year and she ranks 4th in the conference with a 78.9 save percentage while recording more than double the saves of two goalies who rank above her. The Peacocks have tried many different rotations to start the season, but one thing that has stayed consistent is their defensive line. Juniors Katrina Kazluski and Chloe Jarosz, sophomore Natalie Lima and freshman Maile Kapualeinani Kehano have been the anchor UIU's defensive line as the group has started every game together. While Lima has contributed exceptionally well on the defensive end she has also played her role in the Peacocks offensive success as she picked up the first assist of the season against Minnesota-Crookston.
OVERPERFORMING OFFENSE … Freshman forward Haylie Hutchinson has had a sensational start to her collegiate career highlighted by her three assist performance in Upper Iowa's victory over Minnesota-Crookston. Hutchinson is currently tied for most assists in the conference while being the only freshman with three assists on the year. Sophomore forward Rachyl Benavides recorded her first assist in UIU's 3-0 victory and she added her first goal on the year in the Peacocks 1-1 tie. Benavides has started every game this season and she is the only Peacock to have a goal and assist on the year. Sophomore midfielder Darci Faichnie leads the Peacocks in shots on goal and she also has one goal on the season. Junior forward Leah Buerck scored Upper Iowa's first goal of the season in her first career start, while freshman forward Meghan Zwicker's first career shot also resulted in a goal. Sophomore midfielder Nevaeh James leads all forwards/midfielders in minutes and she has played all 90 minutes in three different matches on the season.
PRAIRIE STARS PREVIEW… Illinois-Springfield has a record of 1-2-3 on the year and are coming off their first win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Missouri S&T. The Prairie Stars' first three games all ended in 1-1 ties and they currently have a record of 1-1 in conference play. Junior goalkeeper Allison Mirimanian has started all six matches and she's only given up seven goals on the season. Her save percentage of 78.8 is just 0.01 behind Wagner and good enough for sixth best in the GLVC. Mirimanian has recorded 26 saves and is coming off her first shutout of the season. Senior midfielder Abby Dellamorte is coming off her two best games of the season as she scored a goal in their loss against Maryville and recorded the lone assist in their 1-0 victory over Missouri S&T. Freshman forward Carolyne Mathenia scored her first collegiate goal in that victory and she currently ranks 4th in the conference in both shots with 17 and shots on goal with nine.
HIGHLIGHTING THE HAWKS… Quincy has a record of 1-4-1 to start the season and they just suffered their worst defeat of the year by a score of 0-7 against Maryville. Just like Illinois-Springfield their lone win on the season came against Missouri S&T who they defeated 2-0. The Hawks are led by junior forward Lisa Albarran who leads the team in nearly every offensive stats. She is tied for most goals with two, most assists with one and ranks second in the GLVC with ten shots on goal. Junior defender Paige Nguyen has taken two shots on goal all season and both have found the back of the net. Junior goalkeeper Julia Mincher has started every match in net and while she's allowed more goals than Wagner, she has recorded the exact same number of saves per game as her with 6.00.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS… Following their homestand, the Peacocks will travel to Springfield, Missouri to go up against powerhouse Drury who currently sits at 5-1 on the season. The match will be held on Friday, Sep. 29 at 5 p.m.
