University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
North Dakota (Exhibition)
UNI women’s soccer gears up for weekend exhibition against North Dakota
8/1/2024 9:30:00 AM | Women's Soccer
UNI soccer (0-0-0 / 0-0-0 MVC) vs. North Dakota [Exhibition] (0-0-0 / 0-0-0 Summit)
- Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024
- 2 p.m. CT
- West St. Paul, Minn. | West St. Paul Dome
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- After only a few days of preseason training, the UNI women's soccer team will get its first opportunity for live on-field competition as it takes on the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in an exhibition match this Sunday in West St. Paul, Minnesota.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT at the West St. Paul Dome with attendance free and open to the public. No live stream or stats will be made available for online viewing.
The exhibition will be Northern Iowa's first opportunity to compete after opening preseason training earlier this week and will be the next major step as the program kicks off its 25th anniversary season. UNI is scheduled to open the 2024 regular season on Aug. 15 when it hosts South Dakota at the UNI Soccer Field at 4 p.m. CT.
The Panthers return 20 athletes from last season's breakout year that saw the purple and gold win 13 matches, second-most in school history and tie for third in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) standings. Northern Iowa set numerous school records in 2023, including single-season goals scored (45), assists (36), shots on goal (189) and points (126). The Panthers also posted the first undefeated non-conference schedule in program history at 7-0-1 and the team's first perfect home regular season record (10-0-0). UNI hosted MVC first and second round matches for the first time on its new on-campus facilities, ultimately falling to eventual tournament champion Valparaiso in the second round.
Among the key returners for the Panthers are Olivia Knoepfle, who led UNI with nine goals and six assists to earn First Team All-MVC honors, alongside Lauren Heinsch, who netted seven goals with four assists. In the record book, Heinsch, who set UNI's career records for shot attempts and shots on goal last year, sits in a three-way tie for second on UNI's all-time goals scored list with 20, four shy of breaking Chelsie Hochstedler's (2007-10) career record of 23.
Maddie Eastus assisted on a career-high six Panther goals in 2023 with five goals of her own during her junior season, while Macy Smith saw a breakout year with seven goals scored in a shift from defender to forward.
In goal, Caitlin Richards returns for her final year of eligibility, averaging just one goal per game last season with a .746 save percentage and 50 saves. Richards, who's 1.15 goals allowed average ranks second-best in team history, is just one shutout shy of tying former Panther and current UNI assistant coach Jami Reichenberger's (2017-18) all-time record with 18 clean sheets.
The 2024 Panthers will also see the appearance of seven true freshmen to the roster, including Abby Bell, Liberty Bates, Torie Delgado, Ella Anliker, Ella Ubben, Haylee Braun and Kylie Knief.
For North Dakota, Sunday's exhibition will be the first of two preseason contests for the Fighting Hawks who will also take on Northeast Community College on Aug. 10 ahead of their Aug. 15 season opener at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. UND finished the 2023 campaign with a 5-7-6 record, including a 1-3-4 in Summit League play to eight in the league. The Fighting Hawks are also led by former UNI head coach Chris Logan, who coached the Panthers to an 8-8-3 record in his lone season at the helm in 2016.
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.
