University of Northern Iowa Athletics

Panther soccer closes out three-match road trip Saturday at Valparaiso
10/3/2025 11:08:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Both teams are in search of their first MVC win of the season.
UNI soccer (3-4-3 / 0-1-2 MVC) at Valparaiso (3-5-3 / 0-1-2 MVC)
- Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025
- 5 p.m. CT
- Valparaiso, Ind. | Brown Field
- WATCH (ESPN+)
- LIVE STATS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI soccer team will wrap its three-match road trip late Saturday afternoon as the Panthers visit the Valparaiso Beacons in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.
Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT at Brown Field in Valparaiso with live coverage of the match available on ESPN+. The Beacons hold a slight lead in the all-time series, 7-5-2 after UNI posted a 4-0 shutout in Cedar Falls last September. Both Northern Iowa and Valparaiso will be in search of their first MVC win of the season, entering the contest with one loss and two ties in league play.
The Panthers will look to bounce back after a tough road loss at Belmont last Sunday where they gave up four goals to the Bruins in a 4-1 defeat in Nashville. Macy Smith would provide the lone goal for UNI in the 60th minute of play, with Sophie Hoffmann recording her first assist of the season and third of her career. In goal, both Thordis Melsted and Kennedy Buntenbach played one half, with Melsted getting the start with one save and Buntenbach notching two saves in the second half.
Ten different Panthers have found the back of the net this year, with Smith leading the way with four goals, followed by Olivia Knoepfle with three goals in 2025. Denise Camarena, Sydney Burskey and reigning MVC Freshman of the Week Allison Flies have netted two each, while Sophia Balistreri, Ella Ubben, Haylee Braun, Aynslea Ulschmid and Olivia Mehl have all scored once.Â
In the record books, Knoepfle enters Thursday'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 VALPARAISO
The Beacons enter Saturday's contest with a 3-5-3 record overall, looking to snap out of a sluggish start to league play after an 5-1 MVC opening loss at Drake and consecutive ties against Illinois State and UIC.
Led by 18th year head coach John Marovich, Valparaiso ranks second in the conference with 5.27 corner kicks per match, and boast one of the top scorer's in the league in Kiara Desiderio, who boasts an MVC-best .542 shot percentage and a team-high six goals this year. Molly O'Rear has scored three times in 2025 for the Beacons and is also tied for the team lead with three assists.
In goal, Kate Sheridan has started all 11 matches for Valparaiso, posting a 1.73 goals allowed average and a .708 save percentage.
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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.