University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Knoepfle, Smith, Balistreri earn Third Team All-MVC soccer honors
11/5/2025 2:05:00 PM | Women's Soccer
ST. LOUIS --- The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) on Wednesday announced its all-conference teams and specialty award winners for the 2025 season ahead of Thursday's conference tournament semifinal round.
UNI seniors Olivia Knoepfle, Macy Smith and Sophia Balistreri were all selected Third Team All-MVC for their play during their final seasons with the Panthers.
Knoeplfe, a forward hailing from Andover, Minnesota, started all 16 matches for the Panthers in 2025, scoring four goals with three assists with 23 shot attempts. This season, she became UNI's all-time leader in career assists with 15 during her final collegiate season, while also finishing her career tied for the most games with an assist in team history (13), second in program history in points (53) and games with a point (25), third in games with a goal (16)
Tied for fourth in games played (75), tied for seventh in game-winning goals (4) and ninth in shot attempts (114). This marks Knoepfle's third straight All-MVC Team selection after earning first team honors in 2023 and second team in 2024.
A Waverly, Iowa native and defender/forward, Smith also appeared in all 16 matches for UNI with 14 starts, leading the Panthers with five goals this season along with one assist on a team-high 26 shot attempts and 16 shots on goal. In her final season, she notably scored game-winning goals for the Panthers against Western Illinois and Viterbo and finished her college career as UNI's sixth all-time leading scorer with 16 career goals. Smith also tallied 34 points in her career, as well as five game-winning goals with 14 matches in her career with a goal. This is Smith's first career All-MVC honor.
Balistreri, a Muskego, Wisconsin native and midfielder, started all 16 matches for Northern Iowa this season, notably scoring her lone goal of the season in UNI's season opener at South Dakota. An MVC All-Tournament Team selection in 2024, this is Balistreri's first all-conference season honor of her career.
The full list of MVC women's soccer all-conference teams and speciality award winners can be found below:
MVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Mary Hardy (Murray State)
MVC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Megan Wilson (Murray State)
MVC GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR: Madi Valenti (Illinois State)
MVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Kiara Desiderio (Valparaiso)
MVC CO-COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: Drake & Murray State
MVC FAIR PLAY AWARD: UIC
2025 FIRST TEAM ALL-MVC
- Alanna Pennington (Drake)
- Eve Blakey (Drake)
- Madelyn Smith (Drake)
- Jade Rehberger (Illinois State)
- Madi Valenti (Illinois State)
- Brooklyn Woods (Indiana State)
- Megan Wilson (Murray State)
- Breece Baas (Murray State)
- Mary Hardy (Murray State)
- Sophia Schlicklin (Southern Illinois)
- Riley Collett (UIC)
SECOND TEAM ALL-MVC
- Laken Whittington (Belmont)
- Zoey Mahoney (Drake)
- Layla Kelbel (Drake)
- Addie Ford (Drake)
- Taylor Johnson (Evansville)
- Riley Matthews (Indiana State)
- Griselda Revolorio (Murray State)
- Katie Donoghue (Murray State)
- Guiliana Balistreri (Southern Illinois)
- Dana Nadda (Southern Illinois)
- Molly O'Rear (Valparaiso)
THIRD TEAM ALL-MVC
- Kennedy Wise (Belmont)
- Angela Gutierrez (Drake)
- Isabella Balsley (Drake)
- Briella Laberge (Evansville)
- Allie Lammers (Evansville)
- Grace Petrie (Illinois State)
- Tori Angelo (Indiana State)
- Alex Lehnert (Indiana State)
- Sophia Balistreri (UNI)
- Macy Smith (UNI)
- Olivia Knoepfle (UNI)
- Olivia Anderson (Southern Illinois)
- Kaysey Castro (UIC)
- Hannah Gryzik (UIC)
- Emmy Higgins (UIC)
- Kiara Desiderio (Valparaiso)
MVC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
- Kately Hnatek (Belmont)
- Ivy Sobel (Drake)
- Lily Kytasaari (Evansville)
- Grace Petrie (Illinois State)
- Rylann Law (Illinois State)
- Riley Matthews (Indiana State)
- Isabella Berta (Indiana State)
- Katie Donoghue (Murray State)
- Ava Wilson (Murray State)
- Brooke Goose (Southern Illinois)
- Kiara Desiderio (Valparaiso)
- Martha Goddard (Valparaiso)
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 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
