University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Seven land on MVC women’s soccer scholar-athlete teams
11/21/2024 12:17:00 PM | Women's Soccer
ST. LOUIS --- The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) on Thursday morning announced its scholar-athlete teams for the 2024 season with seven members of the UNI roster earning academic recognition.
Lauren Heinsch, Sophia Balistreri and Olivia Bohl all earned first team honors, while Maddie Eastus and Olivia Knoepfle were named to the second team. Third team honorees include Caitlin Richards and Morgan Barnette. Missouri State's Grace O'Keefe was named the 2024 MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The nominating stands for the MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams mirror that of College Sports Communicators (CSC), formerly known as CoSIDA. Nominated student-athletes must have participated in 75 percent of the team's matches this season, and boast at least a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average as a sophomore of both academic and athletic standing.
Heinsch, a Mahtomedi, Minnesota native and 2024 First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) selection, finished with a team-high eight goals in 2024, tied for third-most in a season in team history, along with one assist for 17 total points. A record breaking performer for the Panthers, Heinsch set UNI's all-time records this season for goals scored (28), points (65), games with a goal (22), games with a point recorded (28), shot attempts (237), shots on goal (119), games played and games started (86).
Bohl, a native of Rosemount, Minnesota product, earned her Second Team All-MVC recognition after scoring three goals during her sophomore season with the purple and gold with 13 shot attempts and ten shots on goal. She appeared in and started 17 of 19 matches for Northern Iowa this fall, a year after earning MVC All-Freshman Team honors.
Balisteri, a Muskego, Wisconsin native and 2024 MVC All-Tournament team selection, played a role as a lead defender for the Panthers. The junior took three shot attempts during the 2024 season, including two in early September in a win over Upper Iowa.
A native of Gilroy, California, Eastus was named Second Team All-MVC after earning third team recognition in 2023. Eastus recorded a career-high seven goals this season with four assists for a team-leading 18 total points with 45 shot attempts and 18 on goal, including multi-goal games against Upper Iowa and Valparaiso. She appeared in and started all 19 contests for the Panthers this year.
Knoepfle, a redshirt junior from Andover, Minnesota, earned Second Team All-MVC honors this year after first team honors in 2023. Starting and appearing in 18 matches, Knoepfle tallied six goals with four assists for 16 points with 31 shot attempts and 14 shots on goal. Knoepfle finished the season ranked second all-time with 12 career assists for the Panthers, fifth in career goals scored (16), fifth in games with a goal scored (13) and ninth in shots on goal (49).
Richards, a senior goalkeeper from Elmhurst, Illinois, closed her Panther career out in style, starting all 19 matches in goal for the Panthers with a 1.43 goals allowed average. She finished her collegiate career breaking UNI's all-time records for career shutouts (20) and minutes played in goal (6,494).
Barnette, a forward from Maple Grove, Minnesota, played in 17 matches this fall with 16 starts, scoring three goals and tallying a pair of assists for 14 total points. She notably notched her first career multi-goal match with a pair of goals in UNI's 5-1 win over Western Illinois.
UNI finished the 2024 season, its 25th in program history with a 9-6-4 record and tied for fifth in the MVC with a 4-3-3 mark. The Panthers qualified for the MVC Tournament for the seventh time in eight seasons under head coach Bruce Erickson, falling to Illinois State in the opening round.
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.
