University of Northern Iowa
9-5-4, 4-3-3
Illinois State
5-9-4, 3-4-3
Panther soccer ties Illinois State in final regular season match
10/27/2024 3:08:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Eastus scores UNI’s lone to lock up six-seed for MVC Tournament. UNI will face Illinois State again on Thursday in postseason play.
NORMAL, Ill. — The UNI soccer team wrapped up the 2024 regular season on Sunday afternoon with a 1-1 draw against the Illinois State Redbirds at Adelaide Street Stadium in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.
With the tie, the Panthers finish the regular season with a 9-5-4 record overall and 4-3-3 mark in league play with 15 points, tied with Indiana State for fifth-place in the standings. By virtue of tiebreakers, Northern Iowa clinches the six-seed in the eight-team MVC Tournament, setting up a rematch with the Redbirds for the opening round on Thursday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a scoreless first 32 minutes of play, Illinois State struck first in the 33rd minute as Eve Gricius connected with Ellie Arnold for a 1-0 lead. While the Panthers were able to put pressure on the Redbird defense by doubling up Illinois State shot total, it wouldn't be until the final ten minutes of the match until UNI found the back of the net as Maddie Eastus scored on an assist from Marissa Gross early in the 81st minute for the equalizer on a shot over the top and out of reach of Illinois State goalkeeper Madi Valenti, who started the second half for the Redbirds.
Northern Iowa outshot Illinois State by a 15-7 margin and 6-2 in shots on goal. Eastus finished with three shot attempts, while Lauren Heinsch, Olivia Knoepfle and Gross all attempted two shots. In goal, Caitlin Richards recorded one save.
"I liked the way we came back in the second half and had the better of the play," explained head coach Bruce Erickson after the match. "Now we need to learn from this game and focus all our energy on playing Illinois State again on Thursday."
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Sunday's draw snapped UNI's three-match win streak against the Redbirds, although the Panthers did extend their unbeaten streak against Illinois State to four matches. Illinois State leads the all-time series 17-9-1, with Sunday's match marking the first tie between the two teams in series history.
- Northern Iowa finishes the regular season tied for fifth in the MVC standings, its fifth straight year of finishing in the upper half of the standings and seventh time under head coach Bruce Erickson.
- Maddie Eastus' 81st minute goal was her seventh of the season and 13th of her career.
- UNI goalkeeper Caitlin Richards has recorded at least one save in each of her previous 19 appearances, a streak dating back to last season. Richards is also 27 minutes of match time away from breaking UNI's all-time record for career minutes in goal (6,403), held by the program's first-ever goalkeeper Anne Marie Witko (2000-03).
UP NEXT
The Panthers will face seventh-seeded Illinois State once again on Thursday, Oct. 31 in the opening round of the MVC Tournament at Flames Field in Chicago. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT with live coverage available on ESPN+. The winner of the match will face third-seeded UIC in next Sunday's quarterfinal.
UNI women's soccer action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Panther Soccer), X (@UNI_Soccer) and on Instagram (@unipanthersoccer). The full 2024 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
Team Stats
Ellie Arnold (1)
Assisted By: Eve Gricius , Abby Hall
GOAL by ILS Arnold, Ellie Assist by Gricius, Eve and Hall, Abby.
33:30
Maddie Eastus (7)
Assisted By: Marissa Gross
GOAL by UNI Eastus, Maddie Assist by Gross, Marissa.
80:02
