Player of the Week: Nao Katamoto, Southern Illinois
Goalkeeper of the Week: Hailey Luedtke, UNI
Defender of the Week: Sosi Dadekian, Illinois State

Nao Katamoto helped lead Southern Illinois to a 2-1 comeback victory over Murray State, scoring both of the Salukis’ goals. Katamoto converted a penalty kick in the 22nd minute to tie the match. Just over seven minutes later, she scored again to give SIU the lead. Her two goals helped the Salukis secure their seventh consecutive victory, extend the program record, and move to 2-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play.

Luedtke tied her career-high with 10 saves to notch her first career win and shutout in UNI's first win of the 2026 season, a 1-0 home victory over Belmont. The 10 saves matched her season and career high early this season against Omaha in a 1-0 loss at home. Her two 10-save games tie for the most saves by a Panther keeper since Caitlin Richards during the spring 2021 season. Luedtke currently leads the MVC with 52 total saves on the year. The win snapped the Panthers' 14-match winless streak dating back to last season.

On Sunday against UIC, Illinois State’s Sosi Dadekian helped the Redbirds to their second straight shutout and fifth this season while also scoring her first career goal. Her game winner came on a penalty kick conversion in the 40th minute. 
 

Date	Player	Defender	Goalkeeper
Aug. 18	Brooke Gosse, SIU	Brielle LaBerge, UE	Greta Genie, BEL
Aug. 25	Emely Lopez, INS	Zoey Mahoney, DU	Sidney Lazenby, UIC
Sept. 1	Penny Warner, SIU	Alanna Pennington, DU	Addie Ford, DU
Sept. 8	Brielle LaBerge, UE	Kaya Durkee, ILS	Griselda Revolorio, MSU
Sept. 15	Kiara Desiderio, VU	Daisy Boardman, VU	Reagan Miller, SIU
Sept. 22	Maya Dixon, SIU	Zoey Mahoney, DU	Madi Valenti, ILS
Sept. 29	Nao Katamoto, SIU	Sosi Dadekian, ILS	Hailey Luedtke, UNI

MVC Women's Soccer This Weekend
Saturday, Oct. 3
Southern Illinois at Belmont
Evansville at Indiana State

Sunday, Oct. 4
UNI at Illinois State
UIC at Drake
Valparaiso at Murray State
 

• Three league teams (Drake, Illinois State, Southern Illinois) are perfect after two matches (2-0 with six points each).
• Southern Illinois has a seven-match win streak, while Illinois State has won five-straight matches. Only 11 programs in MVC history have won eight-or-more consecutive matches in women's soccer.
• Southern Illinois' win percentage during its last 10 matches (.800, 8-2) is tied for 16th best in the nation.
• Illinois State is unblemished against non-conference Top 100 teams (0-0-2) this season.
• Indiana State ranks ninth nationally in goal differential this year (+21).
• SIU's Nao Katamoto is seventh in the NCAA in assists per match (0.70).
• Drake's Angela Gutierrez is sixth nationally with four-game winning goals in 2026. Gutierrez now has seven goals on the season, which leads the team and the MVC.
• UNI's Hailey Luedtke is eighth in the NCAA with 6.50 saves per game.
• In a rematch of the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Championship, UIC fell to visiting Illinois State, 2-0. At halftime, the Flames celebrated Alumnae Day with members who have helped shape the program.
• Illinois State goalkeeper Madi Valenti recorded her fifth shutout this season and 22nd career shutout against UIC, which lifts her into a tie for the third-most in school history, alongside Aryn Newsom, and into a tie for the eighth-most in MVC women's soccer history.
• Evansville senior Forward Taylor Johnson scored off an assist from Brielle LaBerge in the 58' minute in the 2-1 loss to Drake. This marks Johnson's first goal of the season and her third point of the year.
• Murray State's Natalie Miller scored the first goal of her career in the third minute Saturday night, but Southern Illinois answered twice before halftime and held on for a 2-1 win over Murray State in Carbondale. The goal came at 2:55, the earliest Murray State has scored this season. The previous earliest was Abby Jo Dalessandro's in the 40th minute against Missouri on Aug. 16.
• Valpo defeated Indiana State, 2-1, as the teams exchanged goals in the final minutes. ISU scored in the 88th minute and Valpo's Kiara Desiderio converted a penalty kick a minute later for the victory.  Desiderio has four goals in the last four matches and is now up to six goals on the season and 13 for her career. The latter mark is already just two shy of Valpo's career top-10 chart, despite Desiderio being just past the halfway point of her sophomore year.
• Belmont returns home for its only back-to-back home matches of the year as it faces Southern Illinois for Youth Night on Oct. 3. The Bruins host Evansville on Senior Night on Oct. 10.