UNI soccer scores five in shutout of Viterbo

Sunday, August 31

Cedar Falls, Iowa

1 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

2-2-1, 0-0-0

Viterbo

0-2-0, 0-0-0

Viterbo

UNI

Photo by: UNI Athletics

UNI soccer scores five in shutout of Viterbo

8/31/2025 4:03:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score FINAL RESULTS Photo Gallery

Panthers celebrate Senior Day with 5-0 home win over V-Hawks. UNI hosts St. Ambrose on Thursday afternoon.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Olivia Knoepfle set a new program record for career assists on Sunday afternoon as the UNI soccer team rolled past Viterbo in a 5-0 senior day shutout on its home field to open up a five-match homestand.

After grabbing a 1-0 first half lead, Northern Iowa pounced on the V-Hawks in the final 45 minutes of play with goals from Denise Camarena, Macy Smith, Sydney Burskey and Ella Ubben to stay undefeated all-time against Viterbo and improve to 2-2-1 on the year.

Prior to the match, UNI recognized its seven seniors in Smith, Knoepfle, Burskey, Sophie Hoffmann, Caroline Hazen, Sophia Balistreri and Kennedy Buntenbach for their time and commitment to the Panther program.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers kicked off the match with instance offense, gaining two shots early in play. In the 11th minute, Camarena connected with Smith earning a goal to put the Panthers in a 1-0 lead in the first half. UNI kept high energy with 16 total shot attempts in the first half led by Camarena (4), Olivia Bohl (3) and Milan Cordone and Kylie Knief with two shot attempts each.

In the second half of play Camerana doubled the lead with an assist from Knoepfle in the 48th minute. Earning her second goal of the match, Smith received an assist from Camerana to put the ball in the back of the net in the 51st minute to put UNI ahead by a 3-0 margin.

Keeping the momentum going, Camerana notched her second assist of the afternoon in finding Burksey, who tallied her first goal of the year in the 62nd minute of play. Following a change in goal for the Panthers with Thordis Melsted playing the final 33 minutes, Ubben netted her first career goal with just nine seconds to play from distance, adding to the Northern Iowa total in an impressive offensive showing.

Camarena finished the match with a team-high five shot attempts, including two on goal including her early second half goal. Smith attempted three shots on goal with two finding the back of the net, with Aynslea Ulschmid, Burskey and Bohl each notching three shot attempts. In goal, both Buntenbach and Melsted recorded one save each for the combined shutout.

"It was a beautiful day to honor our senior class," said UNI interim head coach Alex Place Thomas. "We played with a lot of heart today and I was proud of our teamwork. We're looking forward to many more successes as we head into a three-home game stretch."

ADDITIONAL NOTES

UNI improves to a perfect 6-0-0 all-time against Viterbo, having outscored the V-Hawks 35-0 all-time in the series.
The Panthers outshot Viterbo by a 33-2 margin, including 13-2 in shots on goal. Northern Iowa's 33 total shot attempts are tied for fifth-most in a match in school history. UNI's 17 second half shot attempts and 16 in the first half are also tied for eighth and ninth respectively for shot attempts in a single half in team history.
Olivia Knoepfle's two assists on Sunday were her second and third of the season, and the 14th and 15th of her career, passing Ashley Harrington (2020-23) for the most in program history. Knoefple also tied Harrington's school record with her 13th career match with an assist and tied Shanon Dechant (2002-05) for fourth on the team's all-time career points list (45)
Macy Smith's two goals against Viterbo were her second and third of the year and 13th and 14th of her career, moving her up to eighth on UNI's all-time goals scored list. Smith also is now tied with Chelsie Hochstedler (2007-10) and Kelsey Yarrow (2015-18) for fourth in career game-winning goals (5) and tenth in career points (29)
Denise Camarena recorded her first two assists of the year on Sunday, the eighth and ninth of her career, moving her into a tie with Lauren Heinsch (2020-24) for ninth in team history. Her goal scored early in the second half was also her first of the season and second of her career.

UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Thursday, Sept. 4 as they host the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the UNI Soccer Field in Cedar Falls, 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.