UNI soccer falls to Iowa State in non-conference finale, 4-1.

Thursday, September 11

Cedar Falls, Iowa

4 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

3-3-1, 0-0-0

Iowa State

3-1-2, 0-0-0

Iowa St.

UNI

UNI soccer vs. Viterbo | Aug. 31, 2025 (Cedar Falls, Iowa)

Photo by: UNI Athletics

UNI soccer falls to Iowa State in non-conference finale, 4-1.

9/11/2025 7:07:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score FINAL RESULTS

Knoepfle scores in first half before Cyclones take over the second period. UNI opens conference play next weekend.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI soccer team held a one-goal lead for the majority of the first half but was unable to slow down the Iowa State offense in the second frame as the Panthers fell to the Cyclones on Thursday afternoon by a score of 4-1 in their final non-conference match of the regular season.

Northern Iowa managed ball possession for just over half of the match, but surrendered four goals to ISU in the final 45 minutes, falling to 3-3-1 ahead of the opening of Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play next weekend.

HOW IT HAPPENED
With the Panthers controlling possession for much of the first half, Olivia Knoepfle put UNI on the board just six minutes into the match on the assist by Kylie Knief following a Panther corner kick. In goal, Kennedy Buntenbach would stop a pair of ISU shots on goal and face five total shot attempts by the Cyclones as Northern Iowa took a 1-0 lead into halftime.

Iowa State would strike with the equalizer in the 54th minute of action as Emma Zimmerman scored unassisted off a Panther handball. Five minutes later in the 58th minute, Taylor Spitzer would give the Cyclones the lead while Zimmerman again scored in the 60th minute to give ISU a 3-1 advantage on a pass from Morgan Goodman. ISU would tack on a fourth goal in the 86th minute of play by Goodman.

Knoepfle led UNI with two shots on goal, while Aynslea Ulschmid attempted two shots, and Allison Flies, Sophie Hoffmann, Abby O'Brien and Haylee Braun each attempted one shot. Buntenbach finished the afternoon with five saves in goal.

We showed up ready to play today and that definitely was proven in the first half, said UNI interim head coach Alex Place Thomas. We gave up a few set pieces in the second, but really battled hard. We played great Panther soccer and I'm proud of how far this program has come in such a short time. Definitely looking forward to future opportunities for us in conference play.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

UNI falls to 1-13-1 all-time against the Cyclones with Thursday's loss.
Olivia Knoefple's goal in the sixth minute of play was her first of the 2025 season and 17th of her career, fifth-most in school history. Her goal also moved her into a tie with Chelsie Hochstedler (2007-10) for the second-most career points in team history with 47, while also tying Sarah Brandt (2014-17) for second in UNI history with 23 career matches with a goal.
Knoepfle also became the tenth player in program history to record 100 or more career shot attempts.
Kylie Knief's assist on Knoepfle's goal was her second of the season and fourth of her career.

UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action next Saturday, Sept. 20 as they kick off MVC play when they host the Indiana State Sycamores. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT 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.