The UNI women’s soccer team opened up conference play Sunday, Sept. 23, when they hosted the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers at the Cedar Valley Soccer Complex. In a tight match from start to finish, the Ramblers came out on top, defeating the Panthers 4-2, ending their unbeaten streak at home. UNI has not lost a home match since Sept. 10 of the last season.

The Ramblers started out quickly against the Panthers scoring on a penalty kick in minute 19 of the match. UNI answered nine minutes later when Kelsey Yarrow grabbed her second goal of the season, tying the match at one goal apiece.

Loyola took back the lead three minutes later with a go-ahead goal, and added another goal in the next 13 minutes to take a 3-1 lead advantage over the Panthers into halftime.

It took some time for the Panthers to get back into their offensive groove, as they gave up another goal six minutes into the second half, putting their deficit at 4-1. The Panthers managed to find their way back into the rhythm when Brynell Yount scored her first goal of the season, assisted by Kelsey Yarrow in the 74th minute. Unfortunately, the late run wasn’t enough for the Panthers to get back into the game. The Panthers record now stands at 4-4-2, and 0-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play.

The Panther’s next match will be at home, but they’ll still face a challenge in the reigning MVC tournament champion. They will host the Missouri State Bears on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 1 p.m. in Waterloo.