University of Northern Iowa
Iowa State
UNI soccer set to welcome Iowa State for non-conference finale
9/10/2025 9:42:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Panthers seeking first win over the Cyclones since 2018 and to remain undefeated at home on Thursday afternoon.
UNI soccer (3-2-1 / 0-0-0 MVC) vs. Iowa State (2-1-2 / 0-0-0 Big 12)
- Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025
- 4 p.m. CT
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI Soccer Field
- WATCH (ESPN+) [Tim Harwood: Play-by-Play / Kelsey Randall: Analyst]
- LIVE STATS
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- In-state rivals will meet once again on the soccer field this Thursday as the UNI Panthers close out the non-conference portion of their 2025 schedule hosting the Iowa State Cyclones at the UNI Soccer Field.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT with live coverage of the match available on ESPN+. Fans in attendance will be treated to a new concessions stand this year on-site, located in the northwest corner of the field. The Panthers also invite youth soccer players to join the team on the field for their pregame high five tunnel.
Northern Iowa will be in search of just its second win all-time against the Cyclones, who hold a commanding 12-1-1 lead in the series. UNI's last win against ISU came in 2018 in a 1-0 victory in Ames, while the Cyclones topped the Panthers at the Cyclone Sports Complex last August.
The Panthers enter Thursday's non-conference finale riding back-to-back home shutouts against Viterbo and St. Ambrose. In UNI's most recent win over the Fighting Bees last Thursday, Denise Camarena and Sydney Burskey both netted their second goals of the season, while Kennedy Buntenbach recorded her first career solo shutout in goal. Northern Iowa notably outshot St. Ambrose by a 24-6 margin.
Eight different Panthers have found the back of the net this year, with Macy Smith leading the way with three of UNI's 12 goals in 2025. Camarena and Burskey have netted two each, while Sophia Balistreri, Ella Ubben, Haylee Braun, Aynslea Ulschmid and Olivia Mehl have all scored once.
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 fourth in team history in career points (45). 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 IOWA STATE
The Cyclones make the trip to Cedar Falls with a 2-1-2 record, having topped both Creighton and most recently North Dakota this year with ties against Portland State and Drake. ISU scored twice in each half on Sunday against North Dakota with four different goal scorers, including a pair of penalty kick goals against the Fighting Hawks.
Led by sixth year head coach Matt Fannon, Iowa State was picked 14th out of 16 teams in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll. The Cyclones themselves are coming off a challenging 2024 season where they posted a 3-9-6 record and 1-5-4 mark in league play.
All eight ISU goals this season have been scored by eight different players, with sophomore midfielder Morgan Goodman leading the Cyclones with nine shot attempts and five shots on goal. Goalkeeper Kasey Cannistraro has started all five matches for Iowa State, notching a .846 save percentage and a Big 12 leading 4.4 saves per match.
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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.
