University of Northern Iowa
5-3-1, 0-1-0
UIC
2-7-0, 1-0-0
UNI soccer falls at UIC in Missouri Valley opener
9/19/2024 9:38:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Panthers conclude three-match road trip with a loss to the Flames. UNI returns home Sunday to face Missouri State.
CHICAGO, Ill. — UNI soccer dropped consecutive matches for the first time on Thursday as the Panthers fell to the UIC Flames in the Windy City by a 2-0 score as part of their Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) opener.
Despite outshooting the Flames, who entered the match with seven consecutive losses and only four goals on the season, Northern Iowa struggled to find the back of the net as UIC netted one goal in each half.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Defense was key for UNI early on in the Panthers' conference opener with UNI keeping the Flames at bay early, while Marissa Gross gave Northern Iowa its first scoring chance in the 18th minute as her shot attempt struck the left post. UIC struck first on offense late in the 20th minute of action as Riley Collett slipped a shot past Panther goalkeeper Caitlin Richards for the 1-0 advantage, a lead that the Flames would carry into halftime.
Richards' made a key save for UNI in the 52nd minute, but it would be her lone stop of the match. The Flames doubled their lead in the 77th minute Collett found the back of the net once again, this time on an assist from Natalie Montini, allowing UIC to run out the clock with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Caroline Hazen led UNI with a season-high two shot attempts on goal, while Denise Camarena, Lauren Heinsch and Gross all put one attempt on goal.
"Tonight's game came down to a couple key moments," explained UNI head coach Bruce Erickson after the loss. "Both UIC goals were moments when they made plays and finished their chances. We played with good energy and had some very good build ups into our attacks, defended well enough, but not enough dangerous moments for us to be impactful."
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI falls to 2-1-3 in the all-time record against the Flames with Thursday's loss, its first against UIC in six meetings.
- Thursday marked just the third MVC loss for the Panthers since the start of last season. Northern Iowa has gone 12-3-2 (.764) during that span.
- The Panthers accumulated just eight fouls in Thursday's match to UIC's 13, continuing UNI's disciplined play and averaging an MVC-low 6.7 fouls per match.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return home on Sunday, Sept. 22 to take on the Missouri State Bears. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at the UNI Soccer Field in Cedar Falls. Due to crossover with a home volleyball match, the match will not be streamed, but live stats will be available through unipanthers.com.
Fans are also encouraged to wear green as part of the Panthers' annual Kick MITO Game in support of mitochondrial disease awareness.
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
Riley Collett (2)
GOAL by UIC Collett, Riley.
20:52
Riley Collett (2)
Assisted By: Natalie Montini
GOAL by UIC Collett, Riley Assist by Montini, Natalie.
77:26
