The UNI women’s soccer team was shutout on the road by the Loyola Ramblers on Saturday afternoon, losing 3-0. The last meeting between these two teams in the spring of 2021 resulted in a tie. This loss drops UNI to 0-2 in conference play and 3-7 overall. The Panthers struggled on the offensive side of the ball with very little rhythm, only attempting three shots through 90 minutes of play.  No shots from the Panthers were able to reach the Ramblers goalkeeper, with only Lauren Heinsch and Maddie Celarek registering shots in the game.  

However, the Ramblers came to play Saturday afternoon scoring three goals. The offensive juggernaut of the Ramblers, led by junior Megan Nemec, put Loyola on the board early with her fifth goal on the year. Her goal ties her with UNI forward Lauren Heinsch for first in the Missouri Valley Conference. 

Loyola’s head coach Barry Bimbi has now led the Ramblers to a 2-0 start in conference play, and 6-2-1 overall.  

“I thought from the opening whistle that we played on the front foot.  We came out a little bit slow last week against Indiana State, so that was our focus coming into tonight. We were rewarded with a couple of goals, which took a bit of the emotion out of the game and allowed us to get into a rhythm.  I thought it was a great team effort and it was great to see the backline step up and limit Northern Iowa’s chances,” said Bimbi in the post-game press conference.

The Panthers will host Illinois State next week for their alumni game on Oct. 3.  This will be a big matchup for the Panthers as they will be seeking their first win in conference play.