TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The UNI soccer team battled the Indiana State Sycamores to a scoreless draw on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action in a battle of the league’s top two scoring offenses.
With a first half that saw a tightly contest push by both offenses to put the ball on goal, the Panthers struggled to match the Sycamores’ offensive firepower in the second half, with the UNI defense holding firm to hand Indiana State its fourth tie of the season and second scoreless performance in its last two matches.
Sunday’s match also saw another milestone in program history as senior forward Lauren Heinsch played in her school record 80th career game, breaking a tie with Hannah Devitt (2015-18) and Sarah Brandt (2014-17).
Northern Iowa and Indiana State both put nine shot attempts in play during the first half, with UNI goalkeeper Caitlin Richards ultimately recording a season-high six saves on the day. Sunday marked Richards’ third consecutive shutout performance in goal coming three days after she broke UNI’s program record for career shutouts.
Both Haylee Braun and Heinsch combined for six of the Panthers’ 11 shot attempts in the match, while both Olivia Bohl and Maddie Eastus also took a pair of shot attempts.
“A very good point on the road for us today,” said UNI head coach Bruce Erickson following Sunday’s draw. “Getting the shutout in a physical game was a positive and we worked extremely hard today when the chances were few. Big week ahead!”
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Sunday’s tie was the fifth all-time tie between Northern Iowa and Indiana State. The Sycamores lead the series, 12-10-5.
Despite the scoreless draw, the Panthers picked up one point in the MVC standings. UNI ends the weekend tied for sixth place with Drake in the conference standings with seven points and five matches to play in the regular season.
UNI goalkeeper Caitlin Richards has now recorded at least one save in her last 14 matches dating back to last season.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will return home for action on Thursday, Oct. 10 as they take on Belmont at the UNI Soccer Field in Cedar Falls. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT with live coverage available on ESPN+.