University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Southern Illinois
Panther soccer hosts Southern Illinois to open final week of regular season
10/25/2025 7:28:00 PM | Women's Soccer
UNI takes on Salukis in annual Pups On The Pitch match.
UNI soccer (4-7-3 / 1-3-2 MVC) vs. Southern Illinois (9-4-3 / 3-3-1 MVC)
- Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025
- 1 p.m. CT
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI Soccer Field
- WATCH (ESPN+) [Tim Harwood: Play-by-Play / Spencer Steffy: Analyst)
- LIVE STATS
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The final week of the 2025 regular season begins on Sunday afternoon for the UNI Soccer Team as the Panthers play host to the Southern Illinois Salukis in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at the UNI Soccer Field with live coverage of the match available on ESPN+.Â
Fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to the match for the team's annual Pups On The Pitch event. Dog treats will be available for four-legged friends.
With two matches to play in the regular season, Northern Iowa will look to stay unbeaten against SIU, holding a 4-0-1 record all-time vs. the Salukis in a series dating back to the spring 2021 season. The Panthers have won the last two meetings and will look for a late season spark to qualify for the MVC Tournament with a top-six finish.
The second of three home contests to close out the regular season on Sunday, UNI returns to action after a tough 2-0 loss to Evansville on Thursday. After a high-energy first half outshooting the Purple Aces by a 10-1 margin, the Panthers conceded a penalty goal to Evansville in the 56th minute before allowing another goal just two minutes later. Olivia Knoepfle led the Panthers with four shot attempts, as Kennedy Buntenbach recorded four saves in goal in the second half.
Ten different Panthers have found the back of the net this year, with Macy Smith leading the way with four goals, followed by 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 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
The Salukis make their final road trip of the year entering the week tied for fifth with Evansville in the league standings, looking to secure an MVC Tournament berth. Southern Illinois came up short in their regular season home finale with a 1-0 loss to Indiana State on Thursday.
Led by third year head coach Graeme Orr, SIU is in the midst of its best season in the program's short seven year history with a program-record nine wins. Goalkeeping has been the Salukis' top strength this year with Reagan Miller leading the MVC and ranking tenth in Division I with a 0.52 goals allowed average, while also leading the conference and ranking in the top-20 nationally with a .857 save percentage.
On offense, Sophia Schlicklin and Dana Nadda have each netted four goals this season, while Aylie Haycock and Dory Latenser have each scored three times.
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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.
