All-MIAA Conference Selections Released Today

The official All-MIAA conference teams were released on Thursday morning from the league offices and three members of the Upper Iowa men’s soccer team were named honorable mentions.

Two freshman forwards were honored with honorable mention selections on Thursday including Jason Bishop and Jared Newman. Both players stepped up for the Peacocks late in the season and shined in big games.

Bishop tied for the lead in scoring with three goals in 2012 with fellow freshman forward Rafael Pedroso. The Elgin, Illinois native earned his first goal of the season and the game-winning goal in overtime against Mount Mercy back on September 9^th. Bishop then scored two goals against North Iowa Area CC on the 7^th of October to give him three total scores in 2012. The 19-year-old freshman also had two assists in the regular season, with one coming against NIACC. Bishop's performance against NIACC helped the Peacocks earn a 3-0 victory.

Newman was another newcomer to step up when he was called upon late in the season. After only seeing the practice field for the first six matches of the season, Newman slowly impressed the coaches and was inserted into the starting lineup in October. Newman started five total matches for UIU at forward and his impact was felt immediately. The Kettering, England native scored his first collegiate goal on October 11^th as the Peacocks hosted Southern Nazarene University. That goal eventually became the game-winner in a 1-0 victory. Newman then followed that performance up with a goal in the 11^th minute of action the very next day against Fort Hays State. Newman’s two scores were tied for second on the team with Andres Cuesta and Jared Devine. Newman also had an assist in UIU’s second to last home match against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats.

Junior midfielder Alejandro Castaneda also earned an honorable mention selection on Thursday. The Guatemala City native led the Peacocks with five assists, all of which came in different matches. Castaneda took a team-high 26 shots, but did not find the back of the net in 2012. Castaneda will lead the Peacocks midfield next year as a senior.

UIU finished just 5-13 overall, but did play well against some very strong teams in the MIAA conference. The Peacocks will bring back a majority of their starters in 2013 after only three seniors graduated this past season.

Pattison Field Named 2012 Iowa Soccer Field of the Year

DES MOINES, IA (Feb. 7, 2013) – The Iowa Sports Turf Managers Association (ISTMA) has announced that Upper Iowa University and Pattison Field have won the 2012 Iowa Soccer Field of the Year award.

“After one of the worst droughts to hit the area this past summer, this award is well deserved and is a true reflection of the high attention to detail the Grounds Department focuses on each and every day,” said Billy Pipp, UIU Director of Grounds and Transportation Coordinator.

ISTMA previously awarded UIU with the 2001 Football Field of the Year award – which at the time, was a natural-grass field inside Eb Eischeid Stadium. In time, UIU transformed and renovated the football complex into the new Harms-Eischeid Stadium, which was built on top of the old stadium and now holds seating for an estimated 3,500 people.

“This award makes me very proud and pleased given the challenges that our Grounds Crew faced this past year,” added Director of Athletics David Miller. “Due to the stadium renovations, the Grounds Crew had to deal with a number of construction issues that limited care and maintenance of the soccer field. They have always done a terrific job taking care of our fields, and Pattison Field remains one of the best in Iowa.”

The land for Pattison Field – the competition home of the Peacocks men’s and women’s soccer teams – was donated to Upper Iowa nearly two decades ago from Bernard and Arnetta Pattison. The field, which used to grow corn for Pattison and his three agribusinesses, has been transformed into one of the best pitches in all of Iowa thanks to its size, irrigation and ability to drain water, while still retaining a strong, playable surface.

“To be able to win this award after what that field went through this past year shows how special that field is and how much pride all of us at UIU take in it,” Head Women’s Soccer Coach Brian Bahl said. “I am extremely excited for it to be completely back to 100-percent health this coming year.”

Pattison Field has played host to many memorable moments since its creation nearly two decades ago, including last year’s women’s soccer quarterfinals victory over visiting Bemidji State in the NSIC/US Bank Women’s Soccer Tournament. UIU sealed the 1-0 victory and advanced to the semifinals for the second consecutive season thanks to a goal in the 24th minute of action from Corrine Wronski. The Peacocks finished that season with a program-best 15 total wins and 11 conference wins. Their 15-3-2 overall record also included a 9-0-2 mark on Pattison Field.

“Our field has always been a source of great pride for our programs,” Bahl continued. “It is without a doubt one of the finest surfaces I have ever seen. Everyone associated with UIU soccer understands how special that surface is, and it holds a very special place in all of our hearts.”

Bahl also reminds fans that it wasn’t just the drought that hurt the field this past summer. A broken irrigation system threatened the life of the field and it was in the worst shape coach Bahl had ever seen before the start of the season.

“Our grounds crew, led by Billy Pipp, did a phenomenal job of nursing the field back to health,” he said. “We are very grateful for the efforts Billy and his entire staff put into the field recovery.”

Over the past several seasons, Pattison Field has given an exclusive advantage to the home squads. The Peacock women’s soccer team is 36-16-9 at home since 2007, while the men’s team is 29-20-2 at home since 2008.

“Our team fitness level can really help us out on a field like Pattison Field,” added Head Men’s Soccer Coach Ben Jones. “We like a field that’s big and wide, while other teams are used to playing on a skinnier or shorter field. I think that can really help us out at times.”

The Peacocks will look for similar success in 2013 on Pattison Field, which sits to the east of Harms-Eischeid Stadium and southwest of the UIU Tennis Complex.

Booth Named To Daktronics Second-Team All-Region

On Monday, the 2012 Daktronics NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer All-Central Region Teams were announced and senior defender Vicki Booth collected Second-Team honors for her outstanding play on the pitch in 2012.

The Rockton, Illinois native, who also earned a spot on the All-NSIC First-Team, helped the Peacock defense record a NSIC-best 14 shutouts and a school-record 15 wins this past year.

Booth played in all 20 matches for the Peacocks at middle defender in 2012 and started all but one those games. She helped UIU’s defense shut down some of the best opposing scorers while holding opponents to a regular-season conference-record six scores. The Peacock offense, which tied for third in scoring with 36 goals during the regular season, also benefited from Booth’s strong defensive play and quick footwork.

At 5-foot-7, Booth was one of the tallest defenders on the Peacock backline and surprised opponents with her speed and strength. Her strong defense and quick takeaways made the Peacock quick-strike offense possible and deadly potent. Booth did not find the back of the net in 2012, but did take four shots and placed two of those on goal.

During her four-year career at Upper Iowa, Booth started 64 of the 75 games she has played in. Along with fellow senior defender Catherine Bunting, Booth has solidified the Peacock backline as one of, if not, the best backline in the NSIC.

In her career, Booth has scored a total of three goals - all of which came in her freshman season - and earned her sole assist in her junior year.

Vicki is the daughter of Martin and Alison Booth and will graduate with a degree in athletic training come Spring, 2013.

Minnesota State-Mankato, which was unable to secure its first-ever Final Four berth Sunday after losing in a seven-round shootout, 5-4, to Grand Valley State, earned a region-best five first-team selections and seven overall selections following the 2012 season.

Central Missouri, which reached the NCAA Round of 16 before falling to the Mavericks in the Super Region semifinals, finished with three first-team selections, while Southwestern Oklahoma State earned two first-team honorees. The final three spots were taken up by representatives of Northeastern State, Central Oklahoma and Minot State.

Nicole Dooher of Minnesota State-Mankato was selected as the Daktronics Central Region Player of the Year after being named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Year. She entered the NCAA Championship with eight goals and12 assists for a total of 28 points.

See below for the full list of the 2012 Daktronics NCAA Division II Women's Soccer All-Central Region Team Selections.


First Team

Pos	Name	School	Yr	Hometown
GK	Molly McGough	Minnesota State-Mankato	So.	Centennial, Colo.
F	Nicole Dooher	Minnesota State-Mankato	Sr.	New Hope, Minn.
F	Brittni Walker	Central Oklahoma	Sr.	Midwest City, Okla.
F	Alexis Robbers	Central Missouri	Fr.	St. Louis, Mo.
F	Zoe Fisher	Minot State	So.	Cambridgeshire, England
MF	Josie Price	Southwestern Oklahoma State	Sr.	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
MF	Brianne West	Minnesota State-Mankato	Sr.	Omaha, Neb.
MF	Kayla Shain	Central Missouri	Sr.	Olathe, Kan.
MF	Elizabeth Cudjoe	Northeastern State	So.	Takadori, Ghana
D	Lauren Somers	Minnesota State-Mankato	Sr.	Bloomington, Minn.
D	Kira Bertrand	Southwestern Oklahoma State	Jr.	Brampton, Ontario, Canada
D	Cassie Weik	Minnesota State-Mankato	Sr.	Oakdale, Minn.
D	Jenna Stones	Central Missouri	Sr.	Olathe, Kan.

Second Team

Pos	Name	School	Yr	Hometown
GK	Meagan Burke	Central Oklahoma	Sr.	Lakewood, Colo.
F	Amanda Olsen	Concordia University, St. Paul	Sr.	Cottage Grove, Minn.
F	Kelsey Visor	Southwestern Oklahoma State	Jr.	Moore, Okla.
F	Maureen Stormont	Minnesota Duluth	So.	Stillwater, Minn.
F	Jordan Hester	Fort Hays State	Fr.	Olathe, Kan.
MF	Caitlin Graboski	Minnesota State-Mankato	Jr.	Woodbury, Minn.
MF	Olivia Hayes	Truman	Sr.	Clayton, Mo.
MF	Tori Meinhardt	Minnesota State-Mankato	Jr.	Maple Grove, Minn.
MF	Alex Bachman-Williams	University of Mary	Jr.	Minot, N.D.
D	Jordan Hutchison	Central Oklahoma	Jr.	Edmond, Okla.
D	Kelsey Ridgway	Truman	Jr.	West Des Moines, Iowa
D	Vicki Booth	Upper Iowa	Sr.	Rockton, Ill.
D	Rebecca McCoy	Winona State	Jr.	Eagan, Minn.

Central Region Player of the Year: Minnesota State-Mankato senior forward Nicole Dooher (New Hope, Minn.)

Six Peacocks Named to All-NSIC Teams

The official All-NSIC conference teams were released on Thursday morning from the league offices and six members of the Upper Iowa women’s soccer team made the list.

Both senior defender Vicki Booth and junior goalkeeper Amanda Smith were All-Conference First Team selections for their outstanding defensive play. Booth has continually shutdown some of the best opposing scorers, while Smith recorded a total of 13 regular-season shutouts in goal for the Peacocks. In 2012, Smith gave up only seven goals all year, while racking up 70 saves and a 14-2-2 record.

Senior perimeter defender Catherine Bunting was also honored on Thursday morning. Bunting, who is a four-year starter for UIU, was chosen as a Second-Team All-Conference selection. The Cedar Rapids native netted her first collegiate goal against Augustana on the 21^st of October in the 103^rd minute of double-overtime. That goal not only gave the Peacocks the win, but it gave this 2012 squad a regular-season school-record 14 wins.

Kelsey Taldone, another backline defender for UIU, was honored with a Third-Team All-NSIC selection. Taldone, who had the game-winning goal over Maryville on September 1^st, started every regular-season match for the Peacocks at the middle defender position. Taldone, who now has three career goals for UIU, also had an assist in both the Minot State game and the U-Mary match in 2012.

Also being honored as a Third-Team All-Conference selection was senior midfielder Valeria Ptasinski. The Machesney Park native tied for a team-high four assists during the regular season. She also added an assist in the opening round of the NSIC/ US Bank Women’s Soccer Tournament on Wednesday against Bemidji State. Ptasinski was a Daktronics Second Team All-Central Region and Second Team All-NSIC honoree during her sophomore campaign. Ptasinksi earned her first goal in 2012 in week six against Sioux Falls, before adding another goal and her 16^th of her career a weekend later at Bemidji State.

Rounding out the accolades was UIU’s leading scorer this year Kali Loescher, who earned an honorable mention selection. Loescher had a team-high seven goals and had two assists in the regular season.

After defeating the Beavers on Wednesday the Peacocks advance to the Semi-Finals of the NSIC/ US Bank Women’s Soccer Tournament for the second consecutive season. UIU will play Winona State in Mankato, Minnesota on Friday at 11 a.m.

UIU Advances to Semi-Finals with 1-0 Victory Over Bemidji State

Box Score

The Upper Iowa women’s soccer team has started a trend over the past three seasons. After a 1-0 victory over Bemidji State at home in the opening round of the 2012 NSIC/ US Bank Women’s Soccer Tournament on Wedneday, the Peacocks will not only make their second consecutive semi-finals match in two years, but they will also get their third shot at Winona State in as many postseasons.

“You can pretty much count on a game against Winona at the end of the year,” head coach Brian Bahl said. “We’ve been closing the gap on them in recent years, but we’ll have to play a lot better than we did today if we want to win.”

Although Bahl still sees room for improvement, the Peacocks were hitting all cylinders on offense and defense in the first half.

Redshirt sophomore forward Corinne Wronski fought hard to gain position inside the Beavers’ penalty box, while senior midfielder Valeria Ptasinski controlled the ball around defenders on the outside. Ptasinski knocked the cross inside and Wronski was there to clean it up after a couple of deflections off of Beaver defenders.

It was only the second goal all season for the Huntley Illinois native, but it showed how determined the Peacocks were to get a lead in the match.

“I was pleased about how we came out,” Bahl said. “We were creating chances early on by just driving it at them. Cori didn’t quit and that’s how a lot of goals are scored – just keep crashing and working hard for it.”

For Ptasinski, there is just something about playing BSU that gets her fired up. She had the game-winning goal over the Beavers back on October 13th in Bemidji and on Wednesday she earned her fifth assist of the season with her pass to Wronski.

As for the defense, well, they completely shut down the Beavers offense in the first half by not allowing a single shot.
UIU took a 1-0 lead into halftime thanks to that defensive effort, but BSU created a couple golden opportunities in the second half.

Thirty seconds into the final period, Megan Castro took her team’s first shot of the match, but it was wide right. Shots came more freely for the Beavers in that second period, but Peacock goalkeeper Amanda Smith held tough.

“I thought she played one of her better games,” Bahl said of Smith. “She took a couple really hard shots, but was able to bounce back up from them and do her thing.”

Smith collided with Emily Olson in the first half and stayed down on the pitch for a couple minutes before ultimately staying in the game. Later in the second half, she again hit the turf again, but not before making a victory-sealing save.

In the 86th minute, Mary O’Brien took a shot for BSU that hit the crossbar. Smith jumped up but the ball was out of her reach and she lost her balance and hit the ground. The ball bounced right to Castro who headed the ball towards the back of the net, but Smith somehow rose from the ground and made a finger-tip save. That was her third and final save of the match.

Thanks to inspired play from their keeper, the defense made sure their lead was intact as the final minutes ticked down. With the 1-0 victory, UIU earned its 14th shutout this season and its second consecutive berth in the NSIC semifinals match. The Peacocks also improved on their school-record 15-2-2 overall record.

“It’s big,” Bahl said about the win. “It gives us a chance to get back to where we were a year ago. We got up there and played a great game in the semifinal game but came up short in penalty kicks.”

Last season, UIU’s season ended in a loss to St. Cloud State at a neutral location. This year, UIU has another shot at revenge, but against a different opponent.

The Peacocks will travel north to Mankato, Minnesota on Friday to face a very good Winona State team. UIU has played the Warriors in each of the past two postseasons, knocking them out of the tournament in a 1-0 upset victory last year.

“It’s nice to play Winona State again after they beat us earlier this year,” Bahl said. “I know it will be a battle.”

The No. 2 seeded Warriors defeated the No. 7 seeded St. Cloud State Huskies 3-0 at home on Wednesday. Friday’s match between Winona State and the Peacocks will begin at 11 a.m. in Mankato, Minnesota. Click here to follow the live stats of the match. Or click here to listen to the match live online.

UIU not only hopes to continue its postseason trend, but they hope to improve upon it and make the tournament championship game on Sunday.

Two Tough Tests Lie Ahead For Peacocks

Women’s Soccer – The Week Ahead…
THE SCHEDULE…

UPPER IOWA at CONCORDIA, ST. PAUL – FRIDAY – 10/26/12
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Match
St. Paul, Minnesota – Sea Foam Stadium – 7 p.m.
Live Stats

# 1 MINNESOTA STATE, MANKATO at UPPER IOWA – SUNDAY – 10/28/12
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Match
Fayette, Iowa – Pattison Field – 1 p.m.
Live Stats

THE SERIES… UIU has faced the Golden Bears of Concordia every year since 2004. For UIU, this matchup has been one of the toughest rivalries in the NSIC. Before last season, the Peacocks and the Golden Bears went to overtime to decide four straight regular-season matches. UIU hosted Concordia last season and earned a 1-0 victory at Pattison Field on October 8^th, but the Peacocks are just 3-5 against the Golden Bears in the eight-match series.
There is no doubt the Peacocks have their hands full this weekend with two very good teams, including the number one team in the nation – Minnesota State, Mankato. Yet in the past, the Peacocks have played very well against some strong MSUM squads. The Mavericks own a 2-1-1 record in the series against the Peacocks dating back to 2008. UIU last defeated MSUM back in 2010 at home in a 2-1 victory and last season, the teams tied after double-overtime, 0-0.

THE MATCHUP… CU enters this weekend’s matchup with the Peacocks with an undefeated 6-0-1 record at Sea Foam Stadium this season. The Golden Bears were previously winless on the road (0-5) before last weekend’s sweep of two NSIC foes (Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State). CU is currently tied for sixth in the conference standings with its 7-5-1 record in the NSIC. The Golden Bears, who are tied with St. Cloud State and Bemidji State, sit at 8-7-1 overall this year. CU has outscored its opponents 36-30 this year. Friday’s match will feature one of the best defenses in the conference from Upper Iowa and tje second best offense in the NSIC from the Golden Bears, who average just over two goals a match (2.25). Arielle Stimson and Amanda Olsen are tied for the lead in scoring with eight goals apiece. Olsen also has a team-high 11 assists this season. Chloe Moore isn’t far behind with seven goals scored this year. The Golden Bears’ prolific offense trails only Minnesota State, Mankato’s.
MSUM (14-1-1, 13-0) brought its winning streak to 12 games this past weekend with a weekend sweep of Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. The Mavericks need one more win to earn the school record with a 13 wins in a row. MSUM will host Winona State on Friday before traveling to Fayette to face UIU on Sunday. 13 different Mavericks have scored at least one goal for MSUM this season. Nicole Dooher, who has taken a team-high 62 shots, and Brianne West are tied for the lead in scoring with six goals each. As a team, the Mavericks have outscored their opponents, 45-6 this season, but they’re not only a juggernaut on offense. They are tied with UIU for the best defense in the conference as well. With help from the rest of the MSUM defense, goalkeeper Molly McGough has recorded 11 shutouts this season, including ten in the Mavericks last 11 matches.

RECORD SETTER... Last weekend was a record-setting weekend for the Upper Iowa women's soccer team. The Peacocks tied the school record with 12 victories in a season on Saturday with a win over Wayne State College. UIU then broke the record on Sunday with a 1-0 double-overtime victory at Augustana. The original 12-win record was set back in 2007 – coach Brian Bahl’s first season as head coach. The Peacocks, who sit at 13-2-1 overall, have two more regular season matches this season and have at least one match in the playoffs to expand on their record-setting season.

12 AND COUNTING… Junior goalkeeper Amanda Smith is a shut-out machine. Earlier in the year, Smith posted six straight shutouts, and is now currently on another 6-match shutout streak. The Moline, Illinois native has given up only six total goals this season - best in the NSIC - and has started all 16 matches for the Peacocks in goal. Smith has a .909 save percentage and has collected a total of 60 saves this season. Smith will have her hands full this weekend as she and the rest of the Peacock defense take on the top two offenses in the conference.

RANKINGS RELEASE… The NCAA released its official regional rankings on Wednesday afternoon and the Peacocks placed sixth in the polls. UIU, which had been ranked eighth in the NSCAA rankings previously, is one of four NSIC teams to make the top-ten list. UIU’s weekend sweep over NSIC foes Wayne State and Augustana gave the Peacocks a school-record 13 victories this season. Brooke Skaggs and Jill Schechinger both scored a goal against the Wildcats in Saturday’s 2-0 victory, while Catherine Bunting netted her first collegiate goal against the Vikings in Sunday’s 1-0 double-overtime win. Click here to view the poll.

Rank	Team	In Region Record	Overall Record
1	Minn. St. Mankato	14-1-1	14-1-1
2	Central Oklahoma	12-1-3	12-1-3
3	Central Missouri	12-1-3	12-1-3
4	Winona State	13-3	13-3
5	SW Oklahoma St.	15-0-1	15-0-1
6	Upper Iowa	13-2-1	13-2-1
7	Minot State	12-3-1	12-3-1
8	Truman St.	11-4-1	11-4-1
9	Northeastern St.	8-4-1	9-4-1
10	Fort Hays State	6-6-1	9-6-1

UIU’s UNSUNG HEROS… Every match it seems as if a new face is scoring the game-winning goal for the Peacocks this season. This past Sunday it was four-year starter Catherine Bunting who netted her first collegiate goal in the 103rd minute against Augustana to give UIU the 1-0 victory. One day earlier, it was Brooke Skaggs netting her first goal in 2012 off a cross from Elizabeth Kaluzinski. Skaggs' header in the 39th minute against Wayne State was enough for the Peacocks to earn the victory in Wayne, Nebraska. Trina Gallagher also netted her first collegiate goal for UIU recently. She scored the first goal in a 2-0 victory over the University of Minnesota, Crookston two weekends ago.

2011… Time and time again, the Peacocks have relied on the scoring threats of the 2011 recruiting class. Jill Schechinger, Kali Loescher, Lauren Rohrmeier, Danielle Weiss, Jess Dickhaus, Cat Camic and Kaitlyn Emanuel were all a part of that class, and together, they lead UIU in many important categories. Loescher and Schechinger have become the Peacocks main offensive scoring threats. Together, the two forwards have totaled nine goals and five assists through 16 matches. Loescher and Schechinger hooked up again this past Saturday in Wayne, Nebraska to seal a 2-0 victory for UIU. Rohrmeier has also played a critical role in the offense as a starting midfielder. She has scored twice and she has two assists. Weiss, who is one of the fastest players on the team, has become an outstanding perimeter defender and found the back of the net on a penalty kick earlier in the season against Sioux Falls. Dickhaus has commanded respect in the center-mid position, starting three games for the Peacocks and impressing everyone with her passing ability.

COACH’S CORNER… Halfway into his sixth season, coach Brian Bahl has led the Peacocks to a program-best 13-2-1 start, including two 6-match win streaks, both of which are also program records. Overall, Bahl is 62-42-16 in his career at the helm of the Upper Iowa women’s soccer program.

THE FINAL STAND… UIU’s match against the Mavericks will be the final regular-season home match for the Peacocks at Pattison Field. MSUM enters Sunday’s match as one of the hottest teams in the conference and the Mavericks are riding a 12-match win streak. The Peacocks, who have one of the best defenses in the conference, will try to slow down that offensive attack and earn the upset. The match will have added significance for five seniors for the women’s team and three senior for the men’s. Both teams will honor their seniors after the conclusion of the match, roughly around 3 p.m.

Peacocks Win in Double-OT Thriller To Break School Record

Box Score

For the fourth match in a row, the Peacocks received a goal from an unsung hero to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. This time, it was senior defender Catherine Bunting who scored in the 103rd minute of Sunday’s double-overtime NSIC match against Augustana to give the Peacocks a 1-0 conference victory.

With the win and the weekend sweep of two conference foes, this 2012 UIU team moves into sole possession of the new school record with 13 victories in a season. The Peacocks snap a record that was set back in 2007 - coach Brian Bahl’s first season as head coach. UIU is now 13-2-1 overall and 10-2-1 in conference play this year.

“We knew this would be a battle today, Augie is a very good team,” Bahl said. “ We knew if we could keep them off the board, we were confident our goal would come and Cat delivered in style.”

After only one shot from UIU in the first overtime period, Bunting attempted her only shot of the match in the 103rd minute. Not only was it her first goal of the season, but it was her first collegiate goal as a Peacock.

“I'm just really happy everyone tried their hardest,” Bunting said. “We had several opportunities, and I'm glad we were able to capitalize and get the win.”

The Peacocks had a total of 24 shots in the match, marking the second straight match the team had 23 or more shots and the fifth game of the season the Peacocks totaled 20 or more shots. Coming into Sunday’s match, the senior from Cedar Rapids had only taken four shots, but did place three of those four on frame. On Sunday, she not only placed her shot on goal, but she found the net.

“I'm really happy to be a part of making history,” she said.

Bunting and the rest of the Peacock defense also held strong on the defensive side of the ball. UIU held the Vikings to just five shots in the first half and a total of 15 in the match.

Augustana had its chance early in the first overtime period to steal a victory as Kirsten Smith and Maren Werth both attempted a shot. All three of the Vikings shots in extra time were off target and UIU was able to take advantage. Peacock goalkeeper Amanda Smith needed just five saves against the Vikings to seal her 13th shutout of the 2012 season.

The Peacocks earned a free kick just before the 103rd minute. After a deflection, Bunting netted the game-winning goal on a long shot to the top right corner of the net.

Looking beyond that goal and the victory, UIU still has some holes to fill on offense. The score covers up what has been a sore spot for coach Bahl all season– missing opportunities and not finishing goals has haunted the Peacocks at crucial times this year. As the minutes clicked by, that fate looked eminent, but UIU bounced back and the Peacocks can enjoy the victory and the record until they take the field again.

“We just have a tremendously special team and group of ladies,” Bahl said. “They have shown their resilience all year, I couldn't be more proud. We still have big things ahead that we are playing for, though, so we have to keep working to get better and not be satisfied.”

UIU will play one final road match in the regular season as they head for St. Paul, Minnesota to take on Concordia this Friday. The Peacocks will then head home to round out the 2012 season against one of the best teams in the conference in the University of Minnesota, Mankato on Sunday, October 28th.