University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI soccer: Olivia Bohl, Olivia Knoepfle win weekly MVC honors
9/27/2023 11:48:00 AM | Women's Soccer
ST. LOUIS — After a dominant week of Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action for UNI soccer, the Panthers picked up a pair of weekly awards from the conference. UNI redshirt sophomore forward Olivia Knoepfle has been named the MVC women's soccer Player of the Week and freshman defender Olivia Bohl has been named the MVC women's soccer Freshman of the Week, as announced by the league office on Wednesday morning.
Wednesday's conference honors are the first in both Knoepfle and Bohl's careers. The recognition came after both players starred in the Panthers' 1-0 victory over UIC and 3-0 victory over Southern Illinois last week. Wednesday marks the first time in program history that the Panthers have received two weekly MVC honors in the same week.
Knoepfle scored two goals and had one assist across both matches against UIC and Southern Illinois. Against the Flames last Thursday, Knoepfle helped break the stalemate with a game-winning assist from near the right corner flag that fell perfectly to Maddie Eastus at the penalty spot. Eastus slotted the ball home for the lone goal of the contest as the Panthers held off the Flames 1-0.
Against Southern Illinois on Sunday, Knoepfle recorded the first two-goal performance of her collegiate career as UNI downed the Salukis 3-0. She opened the scoring in the 10th minute, racing on to a through ball and finishing the breakaway chance to give the Panthers the lead. She capped UNI's afternoon in the 59th minute, racing behind Southern Illinois' back line to finish another breakaway opportunity for the final goal of the match.
With 14 total points so far this season, Knoepfle leads both the Panthers and the MVC in total points as of Sept. 27. 14 points are a career high for the Andover, Minnesota native and she's now up to eighth place on UNI soccer's single-season points leaderboard.
Knoepfle became the second Panther to win MVC Offensive Player of the Week this season, joining teammate Macy Smith who picked up the honor on Aug. 29. Prior to Wednesday, the Panthers had not won multiple MVC Offensive Player of the Week awards in the same season since 2018.
Bohl, meanwhile, anchored a stout Panther defense that shut down both UIC and Southern Illinois last week. UNI recorded shutouts in both contests and, over their last three halves of play, the Panthers have allowed just five total shots. That included a stifling defensive effort in UNI's 3-0 victory over SIU last Sunday in which the Panthers allowed three total shots and no shots on goal.
She also got involved offensively against the Salukis, providing the game-winning assist to Knoepfle in the 10th minute. Bohl met a loose ball near midfield and sliced a long through ball through multiple Saluki defenders that perfectly met Knoepfle, who finished her one-on-one opportunity to open the scoring for UNI. The assist marked the second of the season for Bohl and her first game-winning assist.
The Rosemount, Minnesota native went the full 90 minutes in both contests, which has been a common occurrence for Bohl in her first collegiate season. She currently ranks fourth on the team with 842 minutes played and has started in all six of the Panthers' shutouts this season.
Bohl is the first Panther to receive the freshman of the week honor since Sydney Burskey, who received the MVC Freshman of the Week award at the beginning of the 2022 season.
The Panthers return to action at UNI Soccer Field on Sunday at 12 p.m. against the Indiana State Sycamores. The final match of UNI's three-game MVC homestand can be streamed on ESPN+.
