University of Northern Iowa
St. Ambrose
Panther soccer continues homestand hosting St. Ambrose
9/3/2025 10:54:00 AM | Women's Soccer
UNI looks to remain undefeated hosting the reigning CCAC regular season and tournament champions.
UNI soccer (2-2-1 / 0-0-0 MVC) vs. St. Ambrose (2-1-0 / 0-0-0 CCAC)
- Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025
- 4 p.m. CT
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI Soccer Field
- WATCH (ESPN+) [Tim Harwood: Play-by-Play / Spencer Steffy: Analyst]
- LIVE STATS
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI soccer team's season-long four-match homestand rolls on this Thursday as the Panthers host the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees in non-conference action 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.
Northern Iowa has won all 12 meetings against the Fighting Bees in a series dating back to 2010, outscoring St. Ambrose by a 32-4 margin all-time. In their previous meeting last August, UNI rallied in the second half from a 2-1 deficit to score twice in the final five and a half minutes to top the Fighting Bees, 3-2. The Panthers will look to stay undefeated at the UNI Soccer Field following a 4-0 victory over Western Illinois on Aug. 24 and a 5-0 shutout of Viterbo on Sunday as part of Senior Day.
UNI put on an offensive show in its last outing against Viterbo on Sunday, headlined by Olivia Knoepfle's two assists to break Ashley Harrington's (2020-23) program record for career assists. Macy Smith netted a pair of goals for the Panthers, while Denise Camarena, Sydney Burskey and Ella Ubben all found the back of the net as well, expanding Northern Iowa's scoring list to eight different players this year. In goal, both Kennedy Buntenbach and Thordis Melsted recorded one save in a match where UNI outshot the V-Hawks by a 33-2 margin, the fifth-most shot attempts in a match in program history.
In the record books, Knoepfle enters Thursday's match one assist shy of breaking another Harrington record for career matches with an assist (13), 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 ST. AMBROSE
The Fighting Bees return to the field for the first time since notching a 2-1 win over Benedictine (Kan.) last Saturday in Davenport, sporting a 2-1-0 record with their lone loss coming to No. 11 Marian (Ind.) by a 1-0 score and their other victory coming from a 1-0 win at Clarke last week.
Led by 23rd year head coach Jon Mannall, St. Ambrose is coming off a strong 2024 campaign and a 15-6-2 record, as well as a 9-2-0 mark in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play with a regular season and tournament championship. The Fighting Bees dominated Oakland City in a 5-0 shutout in the opening round of the NAIA Tournament before falling to Spring Arbor (Mich.) in the second round, 3-2.
Forward Mia Hefner has been the driving force for the SAU offense this year, scoring all three of the Fighting Bees' goals this season, earning CCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors earlier this week. Forward Jenna Horst has assisted on two of Hefner's goals, while Jonna Tucker has started two of SAU's three matches in goal, notching nine saves with a .889 save percentage and two goals allowed.
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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.
