Match Overview
The University of Northern Iowa women's soccer squad opened its 2026 campaign with a 3-0 loss on the road against Northern Illinois, dropping the Panthers' record to 0-1 in non-conference play.
Northern Illinois came out firing, outshooting UNI 19-? and generating a season-high six shots on goal, while the Panthers managed only a handful of clear chances.
The first blow came in the eighth minute when Julianna Hill opened the scoring, finishing a pass from Dahlia Rodriguez to put Northern Illinois ahead.
Rodriguez doubled the lead in the 46th minute, and Monica Correa added a third goal in the 71st minute, sealing a comfortable victory.
UNI's best opportunities arrived before halftime, with Ella Ubben and Abi Roberts testing the defense, but both were denied, leaving the Panthers trailing at the break.
In the second half the Panthers generated three solid chances, including strikes from Kylie Knief, Shaelee Franck and Tori Delgado, only to see them saved by Northern Illinois keeper Alexandra Devory, who finished with seven stops.
Goalie Hailey Luedtke, making her second career start, recorded seven saves but could not stop the onslaught.
The win evened the all-time series between the schools at 2-2-1, a modest improvement for Northern Illinois, which had previously dropped two meetings in 2017 and 2018.
Looking ahead, UNI will host St. Ambrose on August 27 at 4 p.m. CT at UNI Soccer Field, with live coverage slated for ESPN+.