Panther soccer unveils schedule for 2023 season

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Panther soccer is gearing up for the 2023 season with its official schedule release.

UNI's 24th season in program history will feature ten home matches on-campus and eight road matches, as well as a pair of home exhibition contests in August. The Panthers kick off the year with exhibitions against Iowa State on Aug. 7 and Clarke University on Aug. 11. UNI then hits the road for the first time on Aug. 17 for the program's second all-time matchup with the University of St. Thomas in the Twin Cities.

The Panthers return home for a two-game homestand, welcoming Viterbo University and Southern Utah to Cedar Falls on Aug. 19 and 22 respectively. It will be only the third time that UNI has played the Thunderbirds and the first since 2011. The Panthers then have another quick one-match road swing to Macomb Illinois for a matchup with Western Illinois on Aug. 24.

UNI rounds out the first month of the season with a home match against St. Ambrose on Aug. 29. The Panthers get to stay home for their first match of September, hosting the Omaha Mavericks on Sept. 3, before their final non-conference road match on Sept. 7 at South Dakota.

UNI's final non-conference match of the 2023 season will be against a new opponent in UT-Martin. The Sept. 9 matchup will mark the first meeting all-time between the Panthers and Skyhawks. UNI will open Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play on Sept. 17 down the road against in-state rival Drake in Des Moines.

UNI returns from the capital city for its longest homestand of the year with three matches at UNI Soccer Field beginning Sept. 21 against the UIC Flames in the first meeting between the two teams since the Panthers' thrilling shootout victory in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals last season in Chicago. The Panthers will also welcome the Southern Illinois Salukis to town on Sept. 24 before wrapping the three-match homestand on Oct. 1 against Indiana State.

The program's first trips to Kentucky and Tennessee begin Oct. 5 as UNI visits Murray State, before a stop in Nashville to take on the Belmont Bruins on Oct. 8. After a quick return home on Oct. 12 to host Evansville, the Panthers will play their final two road matches of the season beginning Oct. 15 at Missouri State, the reigning MVC Tournament champions, before heading east to take on the defending MVC regular season champion Valparaiso Beacons on Oct. 19. UNI will then return home on Oct. 22 for its regular season final against the Illinois State Redbirds.

The 2023 MVC Tournament will feature the league's top-eight teams in a single-elimination bracket, and will run Oct. 26 through Nov. 5 at on-campus sites.

2023 UNI Soccer Schedule (All times listed as CT)

Aug. 7 vs. Iowa State (Exhibition) - 6 p.m.
Aug. 11 vs. Clarke (Exhibition) - 3 p.m.
Aug. 17 at St. Thomas (Minn.) - 4 p.m.
Aug. 19 vs. Viterbo - 1 p.m.
Aug. 22 vs. Southern Utah - 1 p.m.
Aug. 24 at Western Illinois - 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 vs. Omaha - 1 p.m.
Sept. 7 at South Dakota - 4 p.m.
Sept. 9 vs. UT-Martin - 12 p.m.
Sept. 17 at Drake - 1 p.m.
Sept. 21 vs. UIC - 3 p.m.
Sept. 24 vs. Southern Illinois - 12 p.m.
Oct. 1 vs. Indiana State - 12 p.m.
Oct. 5 at Murray State - 3 p.m.
Oct. 8 at Belmont - 2 p.m.
Oct. 12 vs. Evansville - 3 p.m.
Oct. 15 at Missouri State - 1 p.m.
Oct. 19 at Valparaiso - TBA
Oct. 22 vs. Illinois State - 12 p.m.
Oct. 26 - Nov. 5 | MVC Tournament

Calendar

Upcoming Events