University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI soccer announces 2026 schedule
4/30/2026 2:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Panthers to kick off regular season on Aug. 12 to begin 27th season of action.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI soccer team on Thursday announced its 17-match schedule for the upcoming 2026 season.
Northern Iowa, which will begin its second year under the leadership of head coach Alex Place Thomas, will feature nine home fixtures at the UNI Soccer Field, including a nine-match slate against Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) opponents.
The Panthers enter the 2026 campaign following the addition of nine transfers to the roster, as well as nine incoming freshmen.
UNI will host two preseason competitions, including an intrasquad match on Aug. 5 and an exhibition against Hawkeye Community College on Aug. 8 before opening the regular season with three straight home contests against South Dakota (Aug. 12), Milwaukee (Aug. 16) and Omaha (Aug. 20). Following an Aug. 23 trip to Northern Illinois, the Panthers will become St. Ambrose to Cedar Falls on Aug. 27 before back-to-back road trips to Iowa State (Aug. 30) and Western Illinois (Sept. 6). UNI will close out non-conference play on Sept. 10 hosting St. Thomas.
League play will kickoff with Northern Iowa visiting Indiana State on Sept. 20 ahead of a Sept. 27 home match against Belmont. The Panthers will then split its next four matches between home and the road with a trip to Illinois State on Oct. 4, a homecoming weekend matchup with Valparaiso (Oct. 11), a visit to Evansville (Oct. 15) and a home contest with Murray State (Oct. 18). UNI will close out the regular season visiting reigning MVC Tournament champion UIC on Oct. 25 and Southern Illinois on Nov. 1 before hosting defending MVC regular season champion Drake on Nov. 5.
The 2026 MVC Tournament will feature the league's top-six teams in action with first round matches being played on Nov. 8, followed by the semifinals on Nov. 12 and championship on Nov. 15.
2026 UNI SOCCER SCHEDULE
- Aug. 5 - Purple & Gold Scrimmage ^ (UNI Soccer Field / Cedar Falls, Iowa) - 4 p.m. CT
- Aug. 8 vs. Hawkeye ^ (UNI Soccer Field / Cedar Falls, Iowa) - 4 p.m. CT
- Aug. 12 vs. South Dakota (UNI Soccer Field / Cedar Falls, Iowa) - 4 p.m. CT
- Aug. 16 vs. Milwaukee (UNI Soccer Field / Cedar Falls, Iowa) - 1 p.m. CT
- Aug. 20 vs. Omaha (UNI Soccer Field / Cedar Falls, Iowa) - 4 p.m. CT
- Aug. 23 at Northern Illinois (NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex / DeKalb, Ill.) - 2 p.m. CT
- Aug. 27 vs. St. Ambrose (UNI Soccer Field / Cedar Falls, Iowa) - 4 p.m. CT
- Aug. 30 at Iowa State (Cyclone Sports Complex / Ames, Iowa) - 6 p.m. CT
- Sept. 6 at Western Illinois (John A. Mackenzie Alumni Soccer Field / Macomb, Ill.) - 2 p.m. CT
- Sept. 10 vs. St. Thomas (UNI Soccer Field / Cedar Falls, Iowa) - 4 p.m. CT
- Sept. 20 at Indiana State * (Memorial Stadium / Terre Haute, Ind.) - 12 p.m. CT
- Sept. 27 vs. Belmont * (UNI Soccer Field / Cedar Falls, Iowa) - 1 p.m. CT
- Oct. 4 at Illinois State * (Adelaide Street Field / Normal, Ill.) - 1 p.m. CT
- Oct. 11 vs. Valparaiso* (UNI Soccer Field / Cedar Falls, Iowa) - 1 p.m. CT
- Oct. 15 at Evansville * (Arad McCutchan Stadium / Evansville, Ind.) - 6 p.m. CT
- Oct. 18 vs. Murray State * (UNI Soccer Field / Cedar Falls, Iowa) - 1 p.m. CT
- Oct. 25 at UIC * (Flames Field / Chicago, Ill.) - 1 p.m. CT
- Nov. 1 at Southern Illinois * (Lew Hartzog Track & Field Complex / Carbondale, Ill.) - 3 p.m. CT
- Nov. 5 vs. Drake * (UNI Soccer Field / Cedar Falls, Iowa) - 1 p.m. CT
- Nov. 8 - MVC Tournament First Round (TBD / TBD) - TBA
- Nov. 12 - MVC Tournament Semifinals (TBD / TBD) - TBA
- Nov. 15 - MVC Tournament Championship (TBD / TBD) - TBA
* MVC match
^ Scrimmage/exhibition match
Home matches in BOLD
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). Schedule and roster information, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
