UNI soccer welcomes Belmont to Cedar Falls on Thursday – UNI Athletics

University of Northern Iowa
Belmont
10/8/2024 11:09:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Panthers return home to battle the Bruins in first home contest of October, looking to climb the MVC table.
UNI soccer (7-4-2 / 2-2-1 MVC) vs Belmont (6-7-1 / 3-2-0 MVC)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI soccer team returns home following a brief two-match road trip on Thursday to face the Belmont Bruins in a Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) midweek matchup. 
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT at the UNI Soccer Field in Cedar Falls Iowa with live coverage available on ESPN+  . 
The Panthers are undefeated in their four all-time meetings with the Bruins, having secured a 1-0 victory in Nashville last season.
Northern Iowa is coming off a string of impressive performances in their last three conference games, including a 4-0 home shutout against Valparaiso, a 3-0 victory at Evansville last Thursday and a scoreless draw at Indiana State against the MVC’s highest-scoring offense. After dropping their first two league matches to UIC and Missouri State, UNI has outscored opponents 7-0 in their last three outings.
In the most recent match against Indiana State, both UNI and Indiana State recorded nine shot attempts in the first half. Panther goalkeeper Caitlin Richards recorded a season-high six saves, notching her third consecutive shutout and setting a new program record for career shutouts just three days prior. Haylee Braun and Lauren Heinsch contributed six of the Panthers’ 11 shot attempts, while Olivia Bohl and Maddie Eastus each had two attempts. Additionally, Heinsch also appeared in her program record 80th career match.
The Panthers have scored 29 goals this season, the third-highest single-season total in team history. Additionally, with 16 assists, this year’s team is now tied for fifth place in single-season assists in school history.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
Belmont comes to Cedar Falls following a 2-0 loss to Missouri State on Sunday. After finishing last season with a 3-9-7 overall record, the Bruins have shown improvement this year with their only defeat coming against Missouri State.
Under the guidance of second-year head coach Kelsey Cameron, the Bruins aim to bounce back from their recent loss with the support of freshmen duo Ava Labocki and Reagan Ross, who have scored seven of Belmont’s 14 goals this season. Labocki and teammate Kate Virtel have combined for 26 total shots, contributing to the team’s overall tally of 104 shots this season. In goal, Sydney Jones leads the team with 58 saves and boasts a .795 save percentage.
UNI women’s soccer action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Panther Soccer), X (@UNI_Soccer) and on Instagram (@unipanthersoccer). The full 2024 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.

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