University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Drake
Panther soccer travels to league-leading Drake for weekend showdown
10/17/2025 12:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
UNI seeks to stay in the hunt for an MVC Tournament berth against in-state conference rival.
UNI soccer (4-5-3 / 1-2-2 MVC) at Drake (6-4-4 / 3-1-1 MVC)
- Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025
- 5 p.m. CT
- Des Moines, Iowa | Mediacom Stadium
- WATCH (ESPN+)
- LIVE STATS
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI soccer team will make the short two hour trip to the state capital on Saturday, facing off against the league-leading Drake Bulldogs in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action and in its final road contest of the 2025 regular season.
Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT at Mediacom Stadium with live coverage of the match available on ESPN+.Â
Northern Iowa will be in search of its first win over Drake since the spring 2021 season. The Bulldogs hold a 14-4-6 lead on the Panthers in the all-time series. With four matches to play in the regular season, the Panthers currently sit in a three-way tie for seventh in the MVC standings with five points in league play with UIC and Belmont, needing a top-six finish to qualify for the conference tournament.
UNI visits Des Moines one week after coming up short in a 1-0 loss to Illinois State last Saturday at home. Despite a high-intensity effort from the Panther defense, including a UNI career-high four saves from goalkeeper Thordis Melsted, UNI was unable to slow the Redbirds, who scored in the 52nd minute of play.
Ten different Panthers have found the back of the net this year, with Macy Smith leading the way with four goals, followed by Olivia Knoepfle and Haylee Braun with three goals in 2025. Denise Camarena, Sydney Burskey and Allison Flies have netted two each, while Sophia Balistreri, Ella Ubben, Aynslea Ulschmid and Olivia Mehl have all scored once.Â
In the record books, Knoepfle enters Saturday's match one assist shy of breaking another Ashley Harrington's (2020-23) record for career matches with an assist (13) after breaking her career assists record earlier this year, while also sitting second in team history in career points (51). Additionally, Camarena sits tied for eighth in UNI history with nine career assists, as Smith has recorded five career game-winning goals, fourth-most in team history.
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SCOUTING DRAKE
The Bulldogs seek their third straight win over Northern Iowa as they look to maintain a slim one-point lead over Illinois State and Southern Illinois in the league standings for the MVC's regular season title race. Drake returns home after suffering its only conference loss of the year in a 1-0 defeat at UIC last Saturday.
Led by 18th year head coach Lindsay Horner, the Bulldogs boast one the the MVC's top offenses, leading the conference and ranking fourth in the nation with a .573 shot accuracy and 1.79 goals per match, second-best in the league.
Eve Blakey leads the conference with four game-winning goals this year, with goalkeeper Addie Ford posting a .823 save percentage and 0.82 goals per game.
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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 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
