Panther soccer blanks WIU in home opener, 4-0

Sunday, August 24

Cedar Falls, Iowa

1 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

1-1-1, 0-0-0

Western Illinois

1-2-0, 0-0-0

Western Ill.

UNI

Photo by: UNI Athletics

Panther soccer blanks WIU in home opener, 4-0

8/24/2025 5:58:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score FINAL RESULTS Photo Gallery

UNI grabs first win under interim head coach Alex Place Thomas in commanding fashion against the Leathernecks.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI soccer team put up a strong offensive showing on Sunday afternoon as the Panthers grabbed their first win of the 2025 season with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Western Illinois Leathernecks in their home opener.

Macy Smith, Haylee Braun, Aynslea Ulschmid and Olivia Mehl all scored in the first half with Kennedy Buntenbach and Thordis Melsted each playing one half in goal, allowing just two WIU shots the entire match. The victory also marked the first collegiate win for UNI interim head coach Alex Place Thomas.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers kicked off the home opener scoring just minutes after the whistle when Smith received an assist from Olivia Knoefple to score in the third minute of play. Keeping the pace high and finding a good rhythm, Northern Iowa found the net again early in the 37th minute when Olivia Bohl found Ulschmid to double the score.

The pressure continued as Haylee Braun added Northern Iowa's third goal on a pass from Torie Delgado in the 42nd minute, while seconds later Olivia Mehl buried another goal on an assist from Caroline Hazen to push the lead to 4-0 early in the 43rd. In the second half, the Panther defense continued to hold strong as the Leathernecks were held to only one shot attempt in the final 45 minutes of action.

Sydney Burskey tallied seven shot attempts for UNI in the win, including three on goal, as Ulschmid notched four shots attempts and three on goal. Smith finished with three shots attempts and two a piece for Mehl, Olivia Knoepfle and Sophia Hoffmann

"It felt great to be on our home field with the support of our fans, family and friends," said Place Thomas. "The energy was electric and the girls really fed off of that. We still have high goals for our season and need to keep improving everyday, but we are very pleased with the full team effort today!"

ADDITIONAL NOTES

UNI improves to 8-9-5 all-time against Western Illinois with Sunday's win, their second consecutive victory over the Leathernecks and the first time in school history the Panthers have beaten WIU in consecutive seasons.
The Panthers outshot WIU 27-2 in the win, including 10-0 in shots on goal. UNI's two shots allowed are tied for the third-fewest in a match in school history.
Sunday's match marked the sixth time in school history the Panthers have scored at least four goals in the first half, the first such match since 2023 against Illinois State.
Northern Iowa improves to 13-11-2 all-time in home opening matches, including wins in four of its last six home openers.
Aynslea Ulschmid (37'), Haylee Braun (42') and Olivia Mehl (43') all scored the first goals of their collegiate careers on Sunday.
Macy Smith's goal in the third minute was the 12th of her career, tying her with Jane Masteller (2000-01) and Ashley Harrington (2020-23) for ninth on the program's all-time scoring list. Smith's ultimate game-winning score was also her fourth career game-winning goal, tying her with Olivia Knoefple, Kelsey Yarrow (2015-18) and Harrington for sixth most in school history.
Knoepfle recorded her 12th career assist in the win, moving one assist shy of tying Harrington's program record of 13. She also tied Hannah McDevitt (2015-18) for the second-most games with an assist in team history, one shy of tying Harrington's record of 13.
Olivia Bohl notched her third career assist on Braun's goal, while Caroline Hazen posted her sixth career assists and Torie Delgado tallied her first career point with her first collegiate assist.
Goalkeepers Kennedy Buntenbach and Thordis Melsted both combined for UNI's first shutout of the season. This was the fifth combined shutout of Buntenbach's career and the first for Melsted.

UP NEXT
The Panthers return to the road this Thursday, Aug. 28 as they visit St. Thomas. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the South Soccer Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, with live coverage available on the Summit League Network.

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.