The Northern Iowa Women’s soccer team welcomed the Evansville Purple Aces on Thursday for their fifteenth game of the season. 

The Panthers didn’t waste any time on offense. Less than a minute into the game, Maddie Eastus fired a shot on goal which was deflected by the Purple Aces goalie. Lauren Heinsch gathered the ball, and fired a high arching shot over the goalie to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. 

The Purple Aces fought back, firing two shots on goal within a three minute span. 

The Panthers continued to be aggressive on offense early in the first half. Olivia Knoepfle fired two shots on goal but both were saved by the Purple Aces. Eastus and Maddie Celarek both had shots on goal that didn’t connect. 

With 23:43 to go in the first period, Evansville tallied their first goal of the game to tie the game 1-1. 

After the Purple Aces goal, the Panther defense stepped up not allowing a shot on goal for nearly 18 minutes. The Panther offense fired five shots on goal throughout that span but couldn’t capitalize. 

With just under four minutes to go in the half, the Evansville offense struck again extending their lead to 2-1. 

Just 11 seconds left in the half, Ashley Harrington tied the game 2-2 as she kicked it past the goaltender. 

Early in the second half, the Purple Aces got two shots on goal but both missed wide left. 

With just under 30 minutes to play, Knoepfle gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead with a high-arching shot past the goaltender. 

The Panthers were held without a shot on goal the rest of the game, and had to rely on their defense to finish the job. The Purple Aces fired four shots on goal the rest of the game, but couldn’t tie it. The Panthers would hang on to win by a score of 3-2. 

The Panthers improved to 12-2-1 on the season. Knoepfle scored her seventh goal of the season which leads the team. Heinsch scored her sixth goal of the season, while Harrington scored her fourth.