UNI soccer faces Valparaiso in final road match of 2023 regular season

UNI soccer (12-3-1) at Valparaiso (6-4-6)

7 p.m. CT | Oct. 19, 2023
Valparaiso, Indiana | Brown Field
ESPN+

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI soccer hits the road for the final time in the 2023 regular season on Thursday, when the Panthers visit the Valparaiso Beacons for a rare nighttime kickoff. Thursday's match kicks off at 7 p.m. CT and is just the second true night match the Panthers have played this season. Additionally, Thursday will mark the 12th all-time meeting between the Panthers and Beacons.

Both Valparaiso and UNI enter Thursday's contest jockeying for position in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) standings as postseason play looms. The Panthers enter the contest in third place after falling 1-0 to Missouri State on Sunday. UNI now sits in third place in the MVC standings, four points behind first-place Drake and three points behind Missouri State. The Panthers can still finish anywhere from first to sixth place in the final regular season standings, though UNI will need Drake and Missouri State to drop points down the stretch if it hopes to earn a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the postseason tournament. The Panthers have officially clinched a place in the MVC postseason tournament.

Valparaiso, meanwhile, sits in seventh place. The Beacons can finish as high as third place but also could miss the postseason tournament entirely based on how the final two matchdays play out. UNI has a bit of separation from Valparaiso as things stand, but fourth through seventh place in the conference standings are currently separated by three points.

The Panthers could all-but secure a top four seed in the 2023 MVC Tournament with a victory, and will look to bounce back against the Beacons after their aforementioned loss at Missouri State over the weekend. UNI went toe-to-toe with the Bears in a hard-fought, defensive battle, but Missouri State found the game-winning goal off a corner kick in the 77th minute. The Panthers limited Missouri State to 10 shots but could not find a goal of their own as the Bears earned the one-goal victory.

Despite the loss, the Panthers did set a new program record on Sunday. With four shots on goal against Missouri State, UNI moved to 135 total shots on goal during the 2023 season. That eclipsed the previous program record of 134 total shots on goal set during the 2018 season. The Panthers were unable to expand on the two offensive program records they set against Evansville last Thursday, but the team has a program best 37 goals and 102 points in the 2023 season with two regular season games remaining.

The 2023 Panthers are also just one assist away from matching a single season program record for most assists recorded. The 2017 squad's 29 assists remain the highest total for a single season in program history, and the 2023 team has 28.

Individually, Caitlin Richards remains one shutout away from matching former UNI goalkeeper and current UNI soccer assistant coach Jami Reichenberger's (2017-18) program record of 18 career shutouts. Olivia Knoepfle, meanwhile, continues to rise up UNI soccer's single season points leaderboard. Knoepfle has 19 points, the second-highest single season total in program history, and is five points away from matching Brynell Yount's (2017) program record of 24 points. Knoepfle leads the MVC in total points and leads UNI in goals with seven, which is tied for fourth place on Panther soccer's single season scoring list.

Valparaiso also enters Thursday's match following a loss, a 2-0 decision against Belmont on Sunday that was far closer than the final score indicated. The Beacons outshot Belmont 24-9 and had seven shots on goal to the Bruins' four, but Belmont scored twice in four minutes in the first half to secure the two-goal victory. The loss marked the second of conference play for the Beacons, the first coming in a 2-1 loss at Drake on Oct. 8. Valparaiso began MVC play with a five-match unbeaten streak, which included a home draw against Missouri State.

The Beacons beat the Panthers in their lone matchup last season en-route to claiming the 2022 MVC Regular Season Championship. Valparaiso returned nine starters from last season's team including Addy Joiner, who leads the MVC with eight goals in 2023. Sound defense was a hallmark of the Beacons' 2022 championship side and has been a theme of recent matchups between UNI and Valparaiso. Dating back to 2020, the last four combined matches between the Panthers and Beacons have seen just two goals.

In goal, Valparaiso goalkeeper Nikki Coryell ranks fourth in the MVC with 61 saves. Coryell has won MVC Goalkeeper of the Year the last three seasons and has four shutouts in 2023. Lindsey DuSatko is tied for third in the MVC with four assists.

The Beacons have been formidable at home this season. Sunday's loss against Belmont marked the first home loss for Valparaiso of the 2023 season, and the team is 3-1-3 at Brown Field entering Thursday's contest. On the other hand, UNI has not found as much success away from home in MVC play. The Panthers are 1-3-0 in conference road games, with the win coming on Oct. 8 at Belmont.

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