Panther soccer falls to Southern Illinois, 3-2

Sunday, October 26

Cedar Falls, Iowa

1 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

4-8-3, 1-5-2

Southern Illinois

10-4-3, 4-3-1

Southern Ill.

UNI

Photo by: UNI Athletics

Panther soccer falls to Southern Illinois, 3-2

10/26/2025 4:02:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score FINAL RESULTS Photo Gallery

Knoepfle, Smith score in the first half as UNI comes up short against Salukis. Panthers close out season on Thursday vs. UIC.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI soccer team stormed back from an early two-goal deficit to tie Southern Illinois in the first half on Sunday, but came up short in the second half as the Panthers fell to the Salukis by a score of 3-2 at the UNI Soccer Field in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.

With SIU scoring twice in the first 15 minutes, Northern Iowa netted a pair of goals in a seven minute timeframe to tie the match at 2-2 before the Salukis scored the game-winner in the 53rd minute.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Salukis struck quickly out of the gate in just the second minute of play as Dana Nadda scored on a pass from Nao Katamato for a 1-0 SIU lead. Southern Illinois doubled its lead 13 minutes later in the 15th minute with McKenna Garrett finding the back of the net after a save by UNI goalkeeper Thordis Melsted was deflected off a shot attempt from Sophia Schicklin for a 2-0 Salukis advantage.

Northern Iowa would strike back just five minutes later in the 20th minute with Olivia Knoefple scoring on a pass from Macy Smith to cut the SIU lead in half. Seven minutes later, UNI would tie the match up on a double-assist from Denise Camarena and Ella Ubben to Smith to even the score at 2-2 heading into halftime.

In the second half of play, Southern Illinois, attacking into the wind, would net the game-winning goal in the 53rd minute as Nadda scored off a pass from Alie Haycock. Despite tying SIU with 14 shot attempts a piece in the match late, the Panthers were unable to find the equalizer in the one-goal loss.

Smith led the afternoon with four shot attempts for UNI, with Knoepfle, Caroline Hazen, Kylie Knief and Allison Flies all tallying two shot attempts. In goal, Melsted finished with three saves.

We left it all on the field today, said UNI interim head coach Alex Place Thomas. The scoreboard didn't go our way, but we battled hard until the final whistle. That's the kind of heart and effort we can build on.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

UNI falls to 4-1-1 all-time against Southern Illinois after winning the previous two matchups.
Sunday's match snapped a streak of three straight matches for the Panthers without a goal, while also marking UNI's first multi-goal game since October 4 at Valparaiso.
The Panther loss eliminates UNI from a top-six finish and qualification for the MVC Tournament, snapping a five-year streak of conference tournament appearances.
Olivia Knoepfle's goal in the 20th minute was her fourth goal of the season and 19th of her career, tied for third-most in team history.
Knoepfle also played in her 74th career game on Sunday, tying her with Melissa Hagan (2009-12) and Sydney Hayden (2016-19) for sixth-most in UNI history.
Macy Smith netted her team-leading fifth goal of the year and 16th of her career on Sunday, sixth-most in team history. Her assist on Knoepfle's goal was her assist of the season and second of her career.
Denise Camarena's assist on Smith's goal was her third of the season and tenth of her career, making her the eighth player in Panther history to record ten or more career assists and tying her with Sydney Hayden (2016-19) and Charlotte Jones (2011-14) for eighth in school history.
Ella Ubben, who also assisted on Smith's goal, recorded her assist of her career.

UP NEXT
The Panthers will conclude the 2025 season on Thursday, Oct. 30 when they play host to the UIC Flames. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT at the UNI Soccer Field with live coverage available on ESPN+.

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.