UNI soccer opens October against Indiana State

UNI soccer (9-1-1) vs. Indiana State (1-4-6)

12 p.m. CT | Oct. 1, 2023
Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI Soccer Field
ESPN+

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI soccer wraps up its three-match Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) homestand on Sunday, as the Panthers square off against the Indiana State Sycamores at UNI Soccer Field. Sunday's contest kicks off at 12 p.m. and marks the 26th all-time meeting between Indiana State and UNI.

The Panthers will look to extend their MVC unbeaten streak to three matches after recording consecutive shutout victories last week. The most recent shutout came against Southern Illinois last Sunday, a 3-0 victory that saw Olivia Knoepfle record the first two-goal game of her collegiate career and Denise Camarena score her first collegiate goal. Caitlin Richards recorded her 15th career shutout in the win, which moved her into second place in program history for career shutouts.

A dominant week for UNI soccer brought about both individual and team accolades for the Panthers entering Sunday's match. On Wednesday, Knoepfle and Olivia Bohl picked up weekly honors from the conference. Knoepfle earned MVC Offensive Player of the Week after recording two goals and a game-winning assist in the Panthers' matches last week. She became the second Panther to win the award this season, joining teammate Macy Smith who received the honor on Aug. 29. Prior to Wednesday, the Panthers had not won MVC Offensive Player of the Week twice in one season since 2018.

Bohl, meanwhile, anchored back-to-back shutouts for UNI's defense last week. Not only did the Panthers keep UIC and Southern Illinois scoreless, but UNI's defense has also allowed just five total shots across its last three halves of play. That included a stifling defensive effort last Sunday, limiting the Salukis to just three shots and no shots on goal. Bohl played the full 90 minutes in both contests and recorded the game-winning assist against Southern Illinois with a feed to Knoepfle in the 10th minute. The assist marked Bohl's second of the season and her first game-winning assist.

For her efforts, Bohl won MVC Freshman of the Week. The weekly honors marked the first in the careers of both Bohl and Knoepfle and the first time that UNI soccer has won two MVC weekly awards in the same week.

The Panthers also continue to receive national recognition, as the Panthers stayed put at No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches Midwest Poll. UNI has been ranked regionally for three consecutive weeks and sits one spot behind Missouri State in this week's rankings.

After 10 teams in the MVC were in action on Thursday night, the conference standings underwent a bit of a shakeup entering this weekend. With a 2-1-0 conference record, the Panthers currently sit in fourth place in the MVC. The Sycamores, meanwhile, are winless in MVC play and are tied for last place in the conference after losing 2-0 at Drake on Thursday night.

Indiana State, who has an 0-2-1 record in MVC play and a 1-4-6 record overall, has had an affinity for playing tight contests throughout the 2023 season. The Sycamores tied their first four matches of non-conference play, including a season-opening scoreless draw on the road against Louisville. The Sycamores also played UT Martin in non-conference action, a common opponent with the Panthers, in a contest that finished 1-1.

The Sycamores opened conference play with their sixth draw of the season in a scoreless road tie against Belmont, which set a program record for most ties in a season. Indiana State then lost 2-0 to Valparaiso on Sept. 24 before its aforementioned loss at Drake. In that match against the Bulldogs, the Sycamores conceded on the stroke of halftime as Drake's Madelyn Smith opened the scoring with less than a minute to go in the first half. Emma Nagel, who is now tied with Knoepfle for the most points in the MVC, provided an insurance goal in the 75th minute to secure Drake's two-goal victory.

UNI and Indiana State played to a 1-1 draw in the most recent meeting between the sides last season but, much like last weekend's contest against Southern Illinois, the Sycamores are under new leadership. Head coach Paul Lawrence is in his first season leading the Sycamores after spending the previous six seasons at Division II Florida Southern College. Indiana State does return 21 players from last season's team, including 2022 MVC All-Freshman Team selections Adelaide Wolfe and Ella Gorrie. The Sycamores were selected 10th in the MVC Preseason Coaches Poll.

Defender Maddie Helling is the Sycamores' leading scorer so far this season with two goals, and Indiana State has scored six total goals through 11 matches. Goalkeeper Maddie Alexander, who took home MVC Goalkeeper of the Week on Aug. 22, ranks second in the conference with 45 total saves.

With a victory on Sunday, Panther soccer head coach Bruce Erickson could reach a significant milestone in his coaching career. Erickson won his 299th game at the collegiate level on Sunday against the Salukis and is now just one win away from reaching 300 career wins. It has already been a historic season for the Panthers' seventh-year head coach as Erickson won his 50th game at UNI on Sept. 9.

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