On Tuesday, Aug. 22, the UNI women’s soccer team matched up with Southern Utah. Although early in the season, the Panthers came into the game with a record of 2-0, and were looking to continue their great start. It was not easy for the Panthers, but they were able to come away with the 2-3 victory.
In the early going of the game, the Panthers got three shots on Southern Utah goalie Julia Ortega, but she held strong and saved all three. The Thunderbirds did not get a shot on goal until the 15:03 mark, but it proved worth the wait as Sammie Sofonia put it past Caitlin Richards. Both teams got only a couple more shots on goal for the rest of the half, but it was Southern Utah that struck again with little time left in the first period. At the 43:01 minute mark, with just two minutes left, Skylar Cano put them up 2-0. The lead would stand going into the break, although the Panthers had more shots on goal with six compared to the Thunderbirds’ four, two of which went through for goals. The Thunderbird had UNI on the ropes as they entered the second period.
Coming out of the break, both teams were quiet to start. In just over 30 minutes of the second period, neither team managed to get a goal, despite the Panthers having three shots on the goal. At the 76:15 mark, however, the Panthers made the game a lot more interesting. On the 10th shot for the Panthers that made it to the goal, Macy Smith finally got one through for them. However, the Thunderbirds still led 2-1 with just under 14 minutes remaining in the game. It looked like the Panthers were going to lose their first game of the season, as with less than five minutes remaining they still trailed by one point. However, the team had other plans. At the 87:44 mark, with just over two minutes left in the game, Lauren Heinsch scored a goal for the Panthers and tied the game up. Soon following that, with just under a minute left in the game, Smith scored her second goal of the game on an assist by Olivia Knoepfle to stun the Thunderbirds and continue the Panthers’ victory march.
The Panthers were able to get the victory with late-game heroics, and kept the undefeated start to the season alive, improving their record to 3-0 on the season.
