Northern Iowa comes to Evansville with a 6-4-1 record after cruising through the non-conference portion of the season with only two losses. But the Panthers struggled early in conference action starting with back-to-back losses for the first time all season. UNI struggled to find the back of the net in the two MVC shutout losses to UIC and Missouri State. But the Panthers’ offense got back on track in their last game against Valparaiso with a commanding 4-0 win. UNI has three players leading their offense with five goals each on the season from senior midfielder Maddie Eastus, redshirt junior forward Olivia Knoepfle, and senior forward Lauren Heinsch.
With the goal on Thursday, Brenner was named the MVC Freshman of the Week by Valley staff on Tuesday afternoon. It is Brenner’s first weekly honor and the first Freshman of the Week honor for UE since the 2022 season. Along with honors from the Valley Brenner now leads the Aces on offense. She is the only player with multiple goals on the season and tied with senior forward Hailey Autenrieb (Cincinnati / Seton HS) for most points on the team with four.