MURRAY, Ky. — Allison Flies halted Murray State’s attempt at a win on Thursday afternoon with a goal in the final four minutes of action, giving the UNI soccer team a 1-1 draw with the Racers at Cutchin Field in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play.
After trailing for 64 minutes in the match, Flies’ goal was the latest Northern Iowa goal scored this year, securing another point in the MVC table and moving the Panthers to 0-0-2 in league play.
Early into the match, Murray State applied heavy pressure as the Racers took four shots in the first fifteen minutes of play, testing Thordis Melsted in her first UNI starting match of her career. In the 25th minute, the Racers took the lead on a go-ahead goal by Breece Bass to give Murray State a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Panthers picked up the pace as they took four shots looking to score. In the 87th minute, Milan Cordone would connect with Allison Flies to level the match, securing the draw with just four minutes to play.
In addition to Flies’ game-tying goal, Olivia Knoepfle led UNI with three shot attempts, with Sophie Hoffmann and Aynslea Ulschmid each taking two shot attempts. Melsted finished the afternoon with four saves in goal.
I’m very proud of the entire team’s effort in a close battle, said UNI interim head coach Alex Place Thomas. All conference matches are very close because we all want to move on and continue to play. We played with grit and resilience and I’m proud of how we responded to adversity today.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
UNI leads the all-time series with the Racers, 2-1-1 following the first-ever tie in the series on Thursday.
Flies’ game-tying goal in the 87th minute was her second of the season, making her the fifth Panther to score multiple goals this year alongside Olivia Knoepfle, Macy Smith, Denise Camarena and Sydney Burskey.
Milan Cordone’s assist on Flies’ goal was her first of the season and third of her career after notching two assists last season playing at North Dakota.
Thordis Melsted made her first start in goal for the Panthers on Thursday. The redshirt sophomore from Iceland made her only other collegiate start in 2024 at North Alabama.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Sunday as they visit Belmont. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville with live coverage available on ESPN+.