Salukis to begin three-game homestand on Sunday against UNI

CARBONDALE, Ill. - After collecting back-to-back wins, Southern Illinois University (6-3-2) is looking to stay hot on Sunday at home against Northern Iowa.

Details
Who: Northern Iowa Panthers (4-5-4)
Time: 1 p.m.
Date: Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022
Where: Lew Hartzog Track and Field Complex - Carbondale, Ill.
Live Stats: Here

Quick Hits

Southern Illinois is 6-3-2 overall and 3-1-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play heading into its three-match homestand.
The Salukis carry a two-game winning streak into their contest on Sunday against Northern Iowa. In their last outing, they defeated Indiana State, 1-0, on Thursday night in Indiana.
Paris Walsh scored the opening goal in the 12th minute off of a Ashlyn Henrie flip throw and assist. The goal was Walsh's first of the season, and the assist was also Henrie's first in 2022.
Southern Illinois out-shot Indiana State, 16-14, and in terms of shot-on-goal, 9-4. Maddy Alaluf and the Salukis' shutout was their fourth of the season.
Alaluf is currently second in the Valley in save percentage (.828) and saves per game (4.80). The senior goalkeeper has allowed 10 goals in 10 matches played this season.
After a 3-1-1 start to league play, the Salukis sit in second place in the Missouri Valley Conference. Missouri State (4-1-1 in MVC) are in first.
Southern Illinois leads the conference in goals per game (1.27) and have the third-best goals against average (1.09).
Since Sept. 1, the Salukis have a record of 6-1-2 and have out-scored its opponents, 13-7, during those nine games.
Four players are tied for the team-lead in goals, with Emma Spotak, Christy Murauskis, Liz Brechtel, and Kaitlin DuCharme all having two goals each. Six others have scored once, with those six being Walsh, McKinley Stiff, McKensey Bunch, Sam Dodd, Alyssa Fallon, and Quinn Parks.
Brechtel leads the Salukis in assists with two on the year. Henrie, Murauskis, Spotak, and Stiff all have one each.
Dodd leads the team in terms of shots (23), while Walsh's nine shots-on-goal are a team-high.
Sam DeJulio's 990 minutes played are the most on the team.

Head Coach Craig Roberts

Roberts is in his first season as Southern Illinois' head coach. For the last two seasons, Roberts served as the head coach at Grambling State, where he led the Tigers to a combined record of 17-9-5 and back-to-back trips to the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship match.
Prior to Grambling State, Roberts coached nine seasons at Ball State, totaling 99 wins to become the winningest coach in program history. Under his guidance, the Cardinals won four-consecutive Mid-American Conference West Division titles from 2015-2018 and claimed back-to-back MAC regular-season championships in 2015 and 2016.
Roberts' first head coaching job was with UT Martin, which went from 2006-2009. In 2009, he and the Skyhawks won their first-ever Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship.
Outside of collegiate soccer, Roberts also has experience on an international level. From 2014-16, he was an assistant coach on the Haitian Women's National Team. During this time, he also served as the head coach of the U-17 Haitian National Team. After Haiti, Roberts was an assistant coach with the Puerto Rican Women's National Team from 2016-19.

Looking at Northern Iowa

The Panthers hold an overall record of 4-5-4, and are 1-2-3 in conference play. Northern Iowa is tied with Drake for the most draws in Valley action so far this season, and have three draws in a row.
Northern Iowa's most recent draw was on Thursday night against Drake, where the final score was 1-1. Both goals were scored in the second half, with the Panthers finding the equalizer in the 66th minute through a Sophia Meier goal and a Lauren Heinsch assist.
The Panthers out-shot Drake, 15-11, and in terms of shots-on-goal, 7-4. Caitlin Richards made three saves in-goal for Northern Iowa.
Richards has played in all 13 games for the Panthers this season, allowing 20 goals and making 46 saves in those matches.
Northern Iowa is looking for its first win since Sept. 22, when the Panthers shut-out Illinois State, 3-0. Since then, they have gone 0-1-3 in their last four matches.
Heinsch leads the Panthers with four goals so far this season.
Sydney Burskey's three assists are the most on the team.
The Panthers are led by head coach Bruce Erickson, who is in his fourth season in the role.

Series History

Sunday's match will be the third all-time between Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa.

Upcoming Schedule

The Salukis will have two more home games in the regular season after Sunday's game against the Panthers. They will next take the field on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 6 p.m. against Murray State.
Southern Illinois will conclude its three-game homestand on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m. against Illinois State.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Soccer, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiSoccer and on Instagram at @SIU_Soccer. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.

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Players Mentioned

Maddy Alaluf

Liz Brechtel

McKensey Bunch

Sam DeJulio

Sam Dodd

Kaitlin DuCharme

Alyssa Fallon

Ashlyn Henrie

Christy Murauskis

Quinn Parks

Emma Spotak

McKinley Stiff

Paris Walsh

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