UNI soccer: Panthers open 2025 with a victory over Butler

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI soccer opened the 2025 season contained in the UNI-Dome on Saturday, August 30 towards the Butler Bulldogs. After what proved to be a good first half, the Panthers went to work and shut out the Bulldogs within the second half en path to a 38-14 victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Northern Iowa opened the 2025 on the defensive aspect of the ball. The Panthers pressured a fast three-and-out by Butler to convey out the UNI offense for the primary time. The offense was in a position to document a primary down, however stalled out and was pressured to punt the ball again to the Bulldogs. After a Butler first down, Caleb Frazer recovered a fumble on the Butler 24 yard line to offer the Panthers nice area place. A six-yard passing landing from Matthew Schecklman to Derek Anderson was the primary rating of the season and, after a PAT from Max Bartachek, put the Cats up 7-0.

Butler knotted issues at seven apiece with a 10-play, 75-yard drive for his or her first factors of the competition. UNI responded with a 36-yard area objective off the foot of Bartachek which was arrange by a 49-yard reception by Tysen Kershaw to arrange the sphere place for the kick. The Bulldogs opened the second quarter with a nine-yard speeding landing from quarterback Regean Andrew to take a 14-10 lead.

A pair of 21-yard rushes, one by Bill Jackson and one by Schecklman, noticed UNI on the one yard line. Harrison Bey-Buie bounced to the surface and scored the Panthers’ second landing of the day to offer UNI a 17-14 lead. Butler regarded to reply earlier than Jonathan Cabral-Martin dashed the Bulldog hopes with UNI’s first choose of the sport on the one yard line. After a punt by Northern Iowa, the Bulldogs regarded to knot issues at 17 heading into halftime earlier than their area objective doinked off the suitable submit with time expired. The Panthers took a 17-14 lead into the halftime break.

Out of the break, the Panthers scored a landing on their first drive of the half. The drive noticed a 12-yard reception from JC Roque Jr. and a cross interference penalty drawn by Tay Norman to arrange a 16-yard landing reception by Tysen Kershaw to offer UNI a 24-14 lead after a PAT from Bartachek. The protection made a splash within the UNI redzone on the next Butler drive as newcomer Joe Hall III picked off a excessive cross from the Bulldogs on the UNI 15 yard line.

The subsequent two Panther possessions ended within the endzone with a 26-yard reception for a landing from JC Roque Jr. and a 25-yard reception for a landing by Ayden Price. The Panthers held the Butler protection scoreless within the second half and opened the season with a 38-14 victory contained in the UNI-Dome.

Matthew Schecklman was environment friendly by the air, recording 214 passing yards and 4 touchdowns on 15 completions for a 184.7 quarterback ranking. On the bottom, the duo of Bill Jackson and Harrison Bey-Buie mixed for 157 yards and one landing on 12 speeding makes an attempt every. Tysen Kershaw led the Panther receiving room with 65 yards on two receptions with one landing. On protection, Tucker Langenberg led the Cats with 12 complete tackles and one QB hurry. 

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• The Panthers begin the season 1-0 for the second straight season and are actually 10-1 in season openers contained in the UNI-Dome since 1990.
• Head coach Todd Stepsis picked up his first victory as the pinnacle coach of the UNI program with the 38-14 victory.
• Matthew Schecklman’s 4 passing landing efficiency is the primary time a Panther QB has thrown for 4 touchdowns since Theo Day did it towards Youngstown State in 2023.
• The final time UNI recorded two picks in a single sport was final season in Hawaii.

UP NEXT

The Panthers head to Wyoming to tackle the Cowboys in Laramie on Saturday, September 6. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. CT. Streaming of the sport might be accessible on the Mountain West Network in addition to audio streaming accessible on the Panther Sports Radio Network.

UNI soccer motion will be adopted all season lengthy on social media on Facebook (UNI Football), X (@UNIFootball) and on Instagram (@unipantherfootball). The full 2025 schedule and roster, together with the most recent Panther information and data will be discovered on-line at UNIpanthers.com.