Panther soccer falls at Milwaukee

Sunday, August 17

Milwaukee, Wisc.

5 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

0-1-1, 0-0-0

Milwaukee

1-1-0, 0-0-0

UNI

Milwaukee

Photo by: Milwaukee Athletics

Panther soccer falls at Milwaukee

8/17/2025 7:27:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score FINAL RESULTS Photo Gallery

UNI offense struggles against reigning Horizon League champions on the road. Panthers host Western Illinois next Sunday in home opener.

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — UNI soccer struggled to combat the high octane offense of Milwaukee on Sunday as the Panthers dropped their first contest of the 2025 season in Wisconsin by a score of 4-0.

Battling the reigning Horizon League regular season and tournament champions, Northern Iowa was outshot by a 24-7 margin and managed just four shot attempts on goal, giving up a late goal in the first half and three in the second frame.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI opened the match with a strong defensive effort as Milwaukee applied early pressure, outshooting UNI 13-1 in the first half. Milwaukee would take the lead in the 19th minute when Zoey Pagels scored off an assist from Kristina Karlof. Doubling their advantage in the 38th minute, Milwaukee's Emily Petring assisted Maya Wilson, putting Northern Iowa into a 2-0 deficit heading into the halftime break.

Thordis Melsted made her UNI debut in goal to begin the second half as Milwaukee continued to pressure on offense. Pagels netted her second goal of the day on an assist from Ashlyn Skinner-Barrett in the 56th minute, with Skinner-Barrett finding the back of the net just 45 seconds late on a pass from Emily Petring to put Milwaukee ahead 4-0.

Kennedy Butenbach notched a career-high in saves for a second straight match with six starting the first half in goal. Kylie Knief meanwhile led UNI with two shot attempts, while Milan Cordone, Olivia Knoepfle, Sophia Balistreri, Macy Smith and Sydney Burskey each added one shot attempt each.

"We faced a high quality offensive team today and made a few mistakes that cost us the score line," said UNI interim head coach Alex Place Thomas. "It's great for us to face this type of adversity early in the season so we can learn and grow as a team. I'm confident we will continue to strive for more and learn from our experience today."

ADDITIONAL NOTES

UNI falls to 0-2-0 all-time against Milwaukee. Sunday's match was only the second all-time meeting between the two programs and first trip for the Panthers to Milwaukee.
The Panthers fall to 6-4-2 in the last five seasons in matches following a draw.
Four Northern Iowa players made their collegiate debuts on Sunday, including Olivia Mehl, Addie Lange, Ava Hall and Allison McCleery. South Dakota State transfer Sophie Hoffmann also made her first appearance as a Panther in the match.

UP NEXT
The Panthers return to Cedar Falls for their home opener next Sunday, Aug. 24 as they host the Western Illinois Leathernecks. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 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.