By: Steven Wilson – Graduate Assistant, Sports Information
NSIC/US Bank Women's Soccer Tournament Bracket || Website
Records
Upper Iowa (15-4) || Southwest Minnesota State (14-3-2)
Recap
The fourth-seeded Upper Iowa Women's Soccer team didn't have to prove they were the better team on Wednesday as they hosted the fifth-seeded Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State. But they were out for revenge.
The Peacocks – who dropped a 1-0 game to the Mustangs back in early October – were confident if they faced SMSU again, that they would win.
That proved to be true as
Madie Edwards scored the lone goal of Wednesday's Quarterfinals matchup in the NSIC/US Bank Women's Soccer Tournament. The 1-0 UIU victory sends the Peacocks to their third consecutive semifinals match.
There was a lot on the line for both teams – that much was obvious. It was a win or go home situation for two teams who are on the edge in the NCAA regional rankings. That made the start of the match much more interesting.
SMSU came out strong and earned their best-looking opportunity to take an early lead. The Mustangs speedy forward Miranda Cadena took a break-away pass right at UIU goalkeeper
Kaitlyn Emanuel. Cadena shot, but Emanuel made the save of the game as she hit the ground and stopped the ball with an outstretched hand.
That forced the Peacocks to play with a renewed ferocity, attacking the Mustangs early and often. Luckily for UIU, no Peacock has been stronger over the last two months than Edwards. In the sixth minute of action, the Central High School product gained position inside the Mustangs' penalty box creating a dangerous scoring opportunity. Edwards got a foot on the ball and sent it toward the net, but an SMSU defender hit the ball with her hand. The foul gave the Peacocks a penalty kick.
Instead of
Amanda Millard taking the PK like usual, she recognized the hot streak Edwards has been on and opted for a change. Edwards stepped up, placed the ball and didn't hesitate. As soon as the whistle blew, she drilled the goal and gave UIU a 1-0 lead.
With nearly 84 minutes left in the match, the goal looked as if it wouldn't be the last. The teams battled back and forth, but the Mustangs struggled to find an equalizer despite outshooting UIU 21-14 in the game.
SMSU came out hot in the second half, but thanks to stellar goalkeeping from
Amanda Smith - who replaced Emanuel in goal at halftime - the Peacocks held their 1-0 lead until the final horn sounded.
Neither team scratched the scoreboard in the second period as UIU sealed their second consecutive quarterfinals win at home in two years.
During the match, the NCAA was busy producing the regional rankings which determine who goes to the Regional Tournament and who stays home.
The Peacocks found themselves in eighth overall in the central region, while SMSU was ranked fourth. The top six teams make the tournament in the region, but there are three automatic qualifiers – one each from the NSIC, the MIAA and the GAC. The three remaining spots in the region will be awarded on an at-large basis. The NCAA Selection show will air on www.NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m.
UIU will face the winner of the Minnesota State and Minot State matchup on Friday in search of their first NCAA Regional Tournament berth in Division II history. Location and times for that game will be announced later this week.
Stat of the Game
The Peacocks have reached the semifinals of the NSIC/US Bank Women's Soccer Tournament three years in a row, but UIU has never made it to the finals. In 2011, the Peacocks fell to St. Cloud State and last year, the Warriors of Winona State ended UIU's season.
Sounding Off
Head Coach
Brian Diaz After the Game…
On Your First Playoff Victory as a Head Coach… "It was a great team effort. Southwest Minnesota State is a phenomenal team that probably deserves to be in the NCAA tournament. They gave us everything we could handle today for 90 minutes, but at the end of the day we got the only goal of the game and we advance."
On the Similarities Between this Year's Earlier Matchup… "Today's game was very similar to the last one. It was a very even match in Marshall, but they were the ones to get on the board. So I'm very proud of the effort of our ladies today – it was definitely a collective effort."
On Facing SMSU Again… "We knew right after that first matchup that we were good enough to beat SMSU – that's no disrespect to them. They are a fantastic team, but we felt like we could play with them and we could get the win. That's exactly what we did today."
On the Offensive and Defensive Performances… "Offensively, we created some dangerous opportunities in addition to the goal we created off the penalty kick. I thought our defense held on strong. To be fair, over the last 30 minutes of that match we weathered a storm. They were coming at us, but I thought that we did a good job of shutting down some of their players, which turned out to be instrumental in us preserving the shutout and getting the victory."
Expectations for Friday's Match… "At this point, everyone is moving forward with a win. Everyone has a little momentum, but I think we're playing with confidence right now and when we play our best, we feel like we can take on anyone. Regardless of who we play in the next round, it's going to be a tough match. Whether it's Mankato or Minot it's going to be a tough match, but we'll be ready for it."
Playing in the Semifinals for the Third Consecutive Year… "Becoming a championship team isn't something that happens overnight. This program has raised their expectations and with that we expect to be in this position. We expect to be in the finals. These young ladies know what it takes to make that next step."
Up Next
The Peacocks will play the winner of the Minnesota State University Mankato and Minot State University on Friday in the semifinals of the NSIC/US Bank Women's Soccer Tournament. That match kicked off at 3:20 p.m. today.