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Series History
All-Time vs. Penn State: PSU leads 13-1-1
All-Time in West Lafayette: Penn State leads 5-1-1
Last Meeting: #8 PSU 6, Purdue 1 (2013 in University Park)
Last Meeting in West Lafayette: #4 PSU 2, Purdue 0 (2012)
Purdue's Last Win: #24 Purdue 3, #13 PSU 1 (2003 in West Lafayette)
All-Time vs. Ohio State: Tied 10-10-2
All-Time in West Lafayette: Ohio State leads 5-3
Last Meeting: Purdue 1, OSU 0 (2013 in Columbus)
Last Meeting in West Lafayette: Purdue 2, OSU 1 (2011)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Big Ten Conference play kicks off for Purdue women's soccer this weekend with opponents that represent the perennial power in the league and the most frequent foe in program history, Penn State and Ohio State.
Kickoff Friday vs. No. 8 Penn State (4-1) is set for 7 p.m. at the Boilermaker Soccer Complex. Ohio State (3-3) visits West Lafayette for the first time since 2011 for Sunday's 3 p.m. game that will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. Purdue (4-1-1) enters conference play riding a five-game unbeaten streak, its longest since the 2009 team went 2-0-3 from Sept. 18 through Oct. 4.
Sunday will be Greater Lafayette Regional Soccer Alliance Day at the Soccer Complex. All GLRSA members receive $1 admission. A pregame tailgate for GLRSA members and their families will be held prior to kickoff. The Boilermaker Special will be on hand for photo opportunities. After the game, the Boilermakers will be signing autographs and Purdue Pete will be taking pictures with fans at a photo booth.
Registered members of GLRSA will also be invited to play on the game field at halftime of the match.
Last year with the help of the GLRSA and the Pitch Protectors (Purdue's official student support group), a new facility attendance record (1,318) was established during the Big Ten opener against Wisconsin. The goal is to eclipse that benchmark again this season.
The Nittany Lions will be the highest-ranked team to visit the Boilermaker Soccer Complex since they were No. 4 when they came to campus for the 2012 regular-season finale. In remembrance of Sept. 11 this week, Friday has been designated Heroes Appreciation Night. Special $1 admission will be available to all military, law enforcement, fire fighters and other emergency personnel with proper identification.
After racking up 31 shots and 13 corner kicks in Sunday's frustrating 1-1 draw at Youngstown State, Purdue entered conference play leading the league in shots (119) and corner kicks (44). But head coach Robert Klatte stressed to his team at practice this week that possession and opportunities would not be as plentiful in the coming games as the competition ratchets up with the beginning of league play. Capitalizing on opportunities while continuing to defend (4 goals against in 560 minutes) proficiently will be the keys going forward for the Boilers.
With just one win in 15 all-time meetings, Purdue has struggled against PSU more than any other opponent. But with a 160-23-9 all-time record in regular-season Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions have dominated many of their conference rivals. Penn State's impressive streak of 15 consecutive regular-season Big Ten titles, which dated back to 1998, ended last year when Nebraska won the league. But the Nittany Lions were still picked as the favorites to win the conference this year.
Sunday will be the 23rd meeting in the Purdue-Ohio State series. The Buckeyes are the only opponent that the Boilermakers have played every season. The teams have met five times in the Big Ten Tournament as well. Alex Hairston scored in the opening minute last season in Columbus and the goal held up for a 1-0 Purdue victory, the team's first at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium since 2007.
Big Ten play kicked off Thursday with Nebraska hosting Northwestern and Illinois playing at Iowa. Other travel partner matchups this weekend include Michigan and Michigan State hosting Minnesota and No. 9 Wisconsin. Newcomers Maryland and No. 25 Rutgers play their first Big Ten games against each other Friday in College Park as part of a single-game weekend. Indiana is Purdue's travel partner and also hosts Ohio State and Penn State this weekend.
Quick Look at Penn State: The Nittany Lions own quality wins against West Virginia and Duke. They also played annual powerhouse North Carolina even for 102 minutes before the Tar Heels won in double OT. Penn State is on the road for the second weekend in a row after its recent trip to Durham, N.C., for the games against UNC and Duke. Seven players have already scored for PSU this year, with Mallory Weber leading the way with four goals to increase her three-year total to 24. Despite giving up six goals in their first five games, the Nittany Lions have outscored opponents 8-1 in the first half. The golden goal in the 1-0 loss to UNC marked the only time PSU has trailed this season. Goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom is in her second season as the full-time starter.
Quick Look at Ohio State: The Buckeyes earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament last season despite not qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament. They scored a combined seven goals in their wins against Dayton and George Mason last weekend to right the ship after a three-game losing streak. The Buckeyes challenged themselves early with games against nationally-ranked foes Duke, North Carolina and Virginia Tech, winning their season-opener against Duke. Freshman Sammy Edwards, one of three former high school teammates of Purdue's Melissa Casella at Dublin Coffman on OSU's roster, had a hat trick in the Dayton win, but that remains the only game in which she has scored. Redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Megan Geldernick has played every minute in goal so far. Canadian Nichelle Prince has yet to see action this season after scoring 13 of OSU's 33 goals as a freshman last year.
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