FAYETTE, Iowa – The Southwest Minnesota State women's soccer team (0-1-1) battled Upper Iowa (0-0-2) to a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon at Harms-Eischeid Stadium.
SMSU dominated in the attacking third throughout the match, finishing with a 27-5 advantage in shots and a 13-2 edge in shots on goal. The Mustangs also held a 4-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Upper Iowa opened the scoring at the 23:45 mark when Maryn Hudson found the back of the net off an assist from Haylie Hutchinson. The Peacocks carried the 1-0 advantage into halftime despite SMSU generating nine shots in the opening 45 minutes.
The Mustangs came out firing in the second half, putting seven shots on goal during the opening 14 minutes. SMSU continued to pressure the Upper Iowa defense and eventually broke through in the 71st minute. Senior defender Illjana Arbaugh scored the equalizing goal at the 70:59 mark, finishing a pass from senior forward Jada Backes to make it a 1-1 match. The goal was SMSU's first of the early season.
SMSU continued to create opportunities in the final 19 minutes, with shots from Evie Boyle, Jada Backes, Breanna Clemens, Sophia Wilson, Jayna Benson and Janae Kayser. Benson's attempt in the 87th minute struck the woodwork, while Upper Iowa goalkeeper Avery Harding finished with 12 saves to keep the match level.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kennady Krebs played all 90 minutes for the Mustangs, making one save on two Upper Iowa shots on goal.
The Mustangs travel to Madison, S.D., on Friday, Sept. 4, facing Dakota State in an exhibition at 7 p.m., before facing Central Missouri the following Sunday at 11 a.m. That match will be played in Mankato, Minn., and will be streaming live on Midco Sports Plus.
