The UNI women’s soccer team wrapped up their 2024 regular season this weekend with matches against Murray State and Illinois. With a conference tournament berth on the line, this was the most important part of the Panthers’ season.
UNI hosted Murray State on Thursday, Oct. 4 for their final home game of the year. Despite the boxscore hinting at a slow start, scoring zero goals in the first half, the UNI offense put immense pressure on Murray State with eight shot attempts. Halftime was longer than normal, thanks to a 40-minute lightning delay.
Out of the weather break, the Racers broke the scoreless tie with a 73rd-minute goal by Mary Hardy. Nine minutes later, Sophia Balistreri was contacted on a shot attempt, giving UNI their first penalty kick attempt of the season. Lauren Heinsch took advantage of the opportunity, hitting the back of the net to knot the score at 1-1.
Ella Anliker scored her second goal of the season in the 85th minute, giving Northern Iowa the lead. Maddie Eastus added insurance by scoring in the final minute, giving the Panthers a 3-1 victory. UNI outshot Murray State 16-11, with Heinsch leading the team with four attempts. Caitlin Richards was a brick wall for the Panthers, notching five saves. After the game, UNI head coach Bruce Erickson was proud of his team’s performance.
“Proud of the way our team hung in there today. The delay took away from the game as it took us a bit to find our rhythm again. Loved our fight to find the goal.”
With the victory, the Panthers clinched their fifth consecutive MVC Tournament berth. Heinsch extended her own school record with her 28th career goal with her penalty kick goal.
After the win, the team headed east as they took on the Illinois State Redbirds. With a conference tournament berth already in hand, this game was all about seeding and location of the Panthers’ first-round game.
The Redbirds struck first, netting the first score at the 33 minute mark. Despite the Panthers doubling the amount of shots on the Redbirds, it didn’t pay off until the final 10 minutes of the contest. Eastus scored the Panthers’ only goal in the 81st minute. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Richards is 27 minutes of match time away from breaking UNI’s all-time record for career minutes in goal, held by Anne Marie Witko (2000-03).
With the tie, the Panthers conclude their regular season with a 9-5-4 record and a 4-3-3 record in conference play. With 15 points, they are tied with Indiana State for 5th place in the standings. By tiebreakers, UNI earns the 6th seed in the eight team MVC Tournament, setting up a rematch with the Redbirds in the first round. After the match, coach Erickson was proud of his team’s performance, but is looking ahead to a rematch with Illinois State.
“I liked the way we came back in the second half and had the better of the play. Now we need to learn from this game and focus all our energy on playing Illinois State again on Thursday.”
