THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S SOCCER… Upper Iowa opens the season at Harms-Eischeid Stadium as they take on Winona State for the fourth consecutive season. The match will be held on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 12 p.m.

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/ and Live Stats can be viewed at https://uiupeacocks.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary. Both links will be included with this story.

SUPERB STARTERS… The Peacocks return seven starters from last season as well as seven bench-players who played a key role in their rotation. Junior Isabelle Wagner started 14 games in goal during the 2023 season, accumulating 70 saves and posting a shutout in a 3-0 victory against Minnesota-Crookston. Sophomore forward Haylie Hutchinson recorded a team-high three assists and she leads all returners with 1,202 minutes played. The Peacocks return their trio of starting midfielders in juniors Nevaeh James and Darci Faichnie and sophomore Jessica Ancheta. James ranks second among returns with 1,148 minutes played and she added an assist in the Peacock victory over William Jewell. Ancheta and Faichnie each accumulated over 900 minutes of action while Faichnie scored a goal against Minnesota-Crookston. The defensive line is highlighted by sophomore Maile Kehano and junior Natalie Lima, who both played over 1,000 minutes in 2023. Kehano led UIU with 16 starts and Lima dished out an assist against Minnesota-Crookston.
 
NOTABLE NEWCOMER… Midfielder, Annette Vargas joins the Peacocks for her junior season after a two-year career with Allan Hancock College. Vargas appeared in 30 games, making 27 starts where she helped lead her team to a 30-6-8 record. She scored six goals and dished out six assists, and her sophomore year was highlighted by her performances against Porterville and Oxnard where she scored a goal and added an assist.
 
GLVC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL… UIU was picked to finish 13th in the GLVC Preseason Coaches' Poll, ranking above William Jewell and Lincoln. The poll is led by top-ranked Maryville as the accumulated 13 first place votes. Reigning GLVC Tournament Champions, McKendree placed second in the poll with one first place vote while Drury rounded out the top three.

WINONA STATE PREVIEW… The Warriors are coming off a 3-7-7 season, where they posed a 2-6-6 record in NSIC play. Goalkeeper, Alyson Jumper accumulated 57 saves over the course of 14 games in 2023, and she recorded a 78.1% save percentage. Winona State returns all three leading scorers from last season, led by Johanna Shubert with five goals and one assist. Quinn Williams and Abigail Williams each added three goals of their own while both players dished out one assist. Defender Callie Menzel started all 17 games in 2023, recording a team-high 1,526 minutes played, as she spent only four minutes on the bench all season.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS… The Peacocks will be back at home next weekend as they host Bemidji State on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 12 p.m.