Fayette, Iowa - Upper Iowa's women's soccer team knew they would be in for a battle against the Beavers of Minot State on a cool, windy, overcast day, and that is exactly what they got. In a physical match that was played evenly for 88 minutes, the Peacocks made the most of their first opportunity, scoring on the first shot of the game and taking the early and and eventually final 1-0 lead. With the win, UIU will head to their fourth consecutive NSIC/US Bank Tournament semifinal.

The game started with a bang. Before anyone could blink the Peacocks took a 1-0 lead. Just over a minute in Corinne Wronski sent a through ball behind the Beaver defenders to her sister, Aimee Wronski, who took a pair of touches and ripped a low shot that found the back of the net.

The wind was a large factor and the Beavers had it at their back for the remainder of the first half. Minot State outshot the Peacocks 11-8 in the first 45 minutes and put a lot of pressure on the UIU defense, but Kaitlyn Emanuel kept the Beavers at bay with four saves. Upper Iowa led at halftime, 1-0.

In the second half, the Peacocks had the wind in their favor and used it to their advantage. The Peacocks outshot Minot State 9-5 in the second half and kept the ball in the Beaver's half for the majority of the period. The Peacocks nearly took a two-goal lead with ten minutes left when Madie Edwards got her head on a Aimee Wronski corner kick, but the ball skipped just wide and the score remained 1-0.

The Beavers nearly tied the game in the waning moments when a cross nearly caught Emanuel out of position. The ball bounced around for a bit in the box, but the Byron, Minnesota native was able to recover and jump on it before Minot State could put a shot on goal. The Peacocks controlled the ball as the clocked ticked away until the final buzzer sounded.

Coach Diaz applauded the play of Rachel Fowler and Mackenzie Taldone in the holding midfield position for controlling the tempo of the game from a defensive and offensive standpoint, as well as the back line of Jess Dickhaus, Storm Walsh, Trina Gallagher and Danielle Weiss for their bend-but-don't-break defense in this match. He also commended Emanuel's play in goal and her ability to win balls out of the air, which Minot State used often in their attack. 

UIU will now face the #1 Minnesota State Mavericks in the semifinals on Friday at 2 p.m. The game will be played at Minnesota State. The Peacocks fell to the Mavericks, 4-1, when they played last Friday, Oct. 31.