UNI Soccer vs. St. Ambrose
- 1 p.m Aug. 28
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI Soccer Field
- ESPN+ | Tim Harwood: Play-by-play, Spencer Steffy: Analyst
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — After playing to their first tie of the season, the Panthers look to get back into the win column against St. Ambrose.
UNI soccer welcomes the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees to UNI Soccer Field for the second time in as many seasons. When the two teams faced each other in 2021, the Panthers came out on top in a 2-0 shutout of the Bees by current goalkeeper Caitlin Richards. UNI will try for a similar game plan on Sunday afternoon.
THE PANTHERS:
– UNI soccer played to its first 0-0 tie of the season on Thursday afternoon against Omaha. In a defensive battle the Panthers came close with 6 shots and possession for 51% of the game but could not find the back of the net.
– Junior forward Lauren Heinsch was named the first MVC Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday morning. Heinsch leads the Panthers on offense with two goals and four points. It is also the first time since 2018 that UNI soccer has been recognized with an Offensive Player of the Week nomination.
– Head Coach Bruce Erickson is currently tied for the program record of most wins by a Head Coach at 40. He is tied with former HC James Price and will take sole possession of the record with the Panthers next win.
– Junior goalkeeper Caitlin Richards recorded her first shutout of the season on Thursday against the Mavericks. Richards made three saves in the tie, with all three saves coming in the first half of the game.
THE BEES:
– St. Ambrose is currently 1-1 in the early part of his season with an opening loss to No. 7 Marian University and a win against Grand View.
– The Bees have found the back of the net in both games so far this season. St. Ambrose has had two goals in each of his first two games of the season, even against other high powered offenses like the Marian Knights.
– St. Ambrose is led on the field by sophomore forward Taylor DeSplinter. DeSplinter has six points on the season with three goals and four shots on goal. DeSplinter is also the only member of the Bees to have multiple points after two contests.
– The Bees split time in goal between two senior goalkeepers, Molly McLaughlin and Rachel Willette. Willette leads the team in minutes in goals with 135 and made six saves in that time frame. Willette also leads in save percentage at 0.583.