SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Goals in the fourth and sixth minutes for Upper Iowa helped the Peacocks edge the University of Illinois Springfield men's soccer team, 2-1, Wednesday afternoon at Kiwanis Stadium.

It didn't take long for the visitors to make their mark as the Peacock's Leandro Pena tallied a pair of goals within a two minute span to give Upper Iowa a 2-0 lead just six minutes into the game.

The Prairie Stars threatened to half the deficit at the seven minute mark. Senior Chukwuka Iwe (Lagos, Nigeria) got on the end of a through ball but his shot sailed wide. UIS wouldn't be held off the scoreboard for long though. In the 35th minute, junior Mark Williams (St. George, Barbados) stole the ball just outside the 18-yard box, turned and fired home a shot for his first goal of the season.

In the second half, the Prairie Stars pressed from the get-go, creating multiple chances at the 55-minute mark. After winning three consecutive corner kicks, shots from freshman Brent Heinlein (Edwardsville, Ill.) and junior Dylan Hoschar (Quincy, Ill.) strayed off target.

In the 62nd minute, sophomore Dylan Stockman (Peoria, Ill.) cut inside, finding space for a shot but Upper Iowa keeper Kyran Johnson was there for the save.

In a very physical contest, both teams struggled to create quality chances in the final 20 minutes. The Prairie Stars' Nathan Kingstad (Winchester, Wis.) nearly found the equalizer in the 89th minute but his effort was stopped by the keeper.

UIS plays its final road game of the season on Friday when it travels to Bellarmine. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. CDT.