The Peacocks have finished with their second tie of the season, finishing with a score of 2-2 against Drury University.
It was a very quiet first half for both teams as neither side had many opportunities to score. Sophomore midfielder Mattheo Ledoux recorded the first shot on goal in the sixth minute, but sophomore
JJ Gonzalez-Hayes made the save in his fifth start of the season. Sophomore defender
Dexter Garrett has only attempted one shot on goal since he scored twice in the season opener, but he recorded the Peacocks lone shot on goal of the half which was saved in the 17
th minute. Gonzalez-Hayes would record the final save of the half in the 27
th minute and both teams would head to the locker room tied at zero apiece.
The Peacocks nearly scored a minute into the second half, but sophomore David Mateo Porras Rodriguez's shot toward the right side of the goal was saved by sophomore goalkeeper Camden Meyer. Drury responded with a shot of their own by Ledoux who was once again denied by Gonzalez-Hayes. Drury was awarded a corner kick in the 60
th minute which was lobbed into the Peacocks defense. The Peacocks tried clearing the pass, but senior Jacob Schmidt intercepted the pass and kicked it through Upper Iowa's defense into the right corner of the goal.
It only took two minutes for the Peacocks to answer with
Fabio Bender picking up his third assist in two games on a perfectly placed through ball that
Frider Blunck kicked into the back of the net for his fourth goal this season. Blunck has now joined Rodriguez and graduate forward
Thomas Walle with four goals on the year. Sophomore midfielder
Wilmer Canales and senior midfielder
Patrick Carney nearly gave the Peacocks the lead with shots on goal in the 67
th and 74
th minute, which were both saved. Gonzalez-Hayes recorded his third and final save of the game in the 79
th minute. UIU fell victim to another late game as sophomore forward J.J. Adikwu scored in the 84
th minute on an assist by freshman forward Lui Bull and senior midfielder Jason Puente. Once again, the Peacocks quickly responded once again as Canales scored his first goal of the season in the 86
th minute on an assist from Rodriguez. He quickly ran over to his bench in celebration, where he was mobbed by his Peacock teammates. The game would end with a 2-2 tie.
Upper Iowa will travel to Bolivar, Missouri later this weekend to take on Southwest Baptist. The game will be held on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 2:30 p.m.
