University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
St. Thomas (Minn.)
Panther soccer opens 2023 season at St. Thomas, hosts Viterbo
8/15/2023 1:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
UNI soccer (0-0-0) at St. Thomas (0-0-0)
- 4 p.m. CT | Aug. 17, 2023
- St. Paul, Minn. | South Soccer Field
- Tommies All-Access
UNI soccer (0-0-0) vs. Viterbo (0-0-0)
- 1 p.m. CT | Aug. 19, 2023
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI Soccer Field
- ESPN+
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The 24th season of UNI women's soccer will kick off this week as the Panthers visit St. Thomas on Thursday afternoon, before returning home to take on Viterbo on Saturday at the UNI Soccer Field.
UNI split its two preseason exhibition matchups last week, which began with a 2-1 loss to Iowa State at home. Olivia Knoepfle provided UNI's lone goal on a wide open, unassisted shot past the goalkeeper in the ninth minute of play earlier this week.
The Panthers rebounded from their preseason loss to the Cyclones on Friday afternoon with a 7-0 shutout of Clarke, which featured five different goal scorers in Knoepfle, Ashley Harrington, Lauren Heinsch, Maddie Celarek and Maddie Eastus.Â
St. Thomas finished the 2022 campaign with a 6-8-3 record, and 2-6-1 mark in Summit League play. The Tommies won four of their first six matches last fall, but struggled down the stretch, dropping their final six contests against league opposition. UNI is still in search of their first win against the Tommies in the short two-game series since St. Thomas became a Division I program in 2021.
Offensively, the Tommies return their leading scorer in forward Maraiah Nguyen, who netted five goals with four assists last season. In net, keeper Annie Bantner posted a 6-6-3 record with a .759 save percentage, along with three shutouts and a 1.27 goals allowed average.
UNI will look to keep its 4-0 all-time record against Viterbo intact in its home opener after the V-Hawks open their season on Thursday against Morningside. The V-Hawks posted an 8-6-2 record last fall ranking in the top-30 in the NAIA in shot percentage (.184).
After losing their leading goal scorer in Grace Breuchel, Kelcie Karweick looks to lead Viterbo offensively after scoring four times in 2022. Molly Ripley returns after splitting over 1,400 minutes in goal for the V-Hawks, recording an .800 save percentage with four wins and a 1.14 goals allowed average.
The Panthers return 21 players from their 2022 roster, including First Team Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) selection in forward Lauren Heinsch, who led UNI with five goals last season, as well as the MVC in shots per game (3.0).
Senior forward Ashley Harrington, who picked up Preseason All-MVC Honorable Mention recognition this week, also returns after leading the Panthers with four assists. MVC All-Freshman Team honoree Caroline Hazen (2 goals), as does Sydney Burskey (3 goals, 3 assists) and Allison Groothius (3 goals).
In goal, Caitlin Richards returns for her senior season after leading the MVC in minutes in goal (1,640:14) and saves (81) last fall. Richards was also named to the MVC All-Tournament Team in 2022.
UNI bolstered its roster during the offseason with the addition of eight new players, including seven new freshmen signees. Among the new faces on campus for the Panthers are forward Camille Landphair, who scored a school record 130 career goals at Dike-New Hartford High School, fifth-most in state history, as well as defender Lindsey Overmann from Class 2A soccer power Waverly Shell-Rock. UNI's lone transfer in defender/forward Rielly Chesna comes to Cedar Falls after appearing in 15 matches with a pair of goals scored last season at Long Island University.
On the sidelines, head coach Bruce Erickson begins his seventh season at the helm of the Panther program. With a UNI record of 43-43-17, Erickson is the winningest coach in program history looking to return the Panthers to the postseason.
UNI finished the 2022 campaign with a 6-6-8 record and 2-2-6 mark in MVC play. With a program record eight ties during the season, the Panthers finished sixth in the MVC table qualifying for the conference tournament. UNI edged Belmont in a 1-0, double overtime victory in the opening round, before taking down third-seeed UIC in a 4-2 penalty kick shootout.
