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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Purdue (9-2-1, 4-0-1 B1G) at Wisconsin (8-3-1, 2-2-1 B1G)
Friday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET / BTN Plus on BTN2Go
McClimon Soccer Complex / Madison, Wisconsin
All-Time Series: Wisconsin leads 9-8-3 / All-Time in Madison: Purdue leads 4-3-1
2016: Wisconsin 3, Purdue 1 (Sept. 23 in West Lafayette)
Last Meeting in Madison: Wisconsin 1, Purdue 0 (2015)
Purdue's Last Win vs. UW: Purdue 1, Wisconsin 0 (2008 in Madison)
Purdue at Minnesota (7-2-3, 3-1-1 B1G)
Sunday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. ET / BTN Plus on BTN2Go
Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium / St. Paul, Minnesota
All-Time Series: Minnesota leads 12-8 / All-Time in St. Paul: Minnesota leads 6-3
2016: No. 9 Minnesota 2, Purdue 0 (Sept. 25 in West Lafayette)
Last Meeting in St. Paul: No. 18 Minnesota 3, Purdue 1 (2015)
Purdue's Last Win vs. Minnesota: Purdue 2, Minnesota 1 (2011 in St. Paul)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue women's soccer travels to the Upper Midwest for the most important road trip in recent program history, putting its unbeaten mark in Big Ten play on the line against Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Kickoff Friday in Madison is set for 8 p.m. ET. Sunday's matinee in St. Paul gets underway at 2 p.m. ET. After this weekend, the Boilermakers play three of their final four regular-season games at Folk Field.
All three teams were receiving votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches top-25 poll. Wisconsin has been ranked as high as ninth this season. Minnesota leads the Big Ten with 30 goals and is ranked 24th by Soccer America. The Gophers won a share of the Big Ten regular-season crown last year and also captured the tournament title while playing all three of their games at home.
A decade ago, it was Purdue that won three postseason games in St. Paul to take the Big Ten Tournament title. The Boilermakers defeated Northwestern, Illinois and Ohio State at Robbie Stadium to win the 2007 Big Ten Tournament. At 4-0-1 in conference play, Purdue's current team has matched the 2007 squad for the best five-game start to the Big Ten season in program history.
Four of the top offensive players in the conference this season will be on the field as the Boilermakers take on Badgers and Gophers. Purdue's Maddy Williams leads the Big Ten in points (26) and game-winning goals (5) and is second goals (9) and assists (8). Wisconsin's Dani Rhodes is second in game-winning goals (4) as well as third in goals (8) and points (19). The Gophers' feature the league leaders in goals (Sydney Squires, 10) and assists (April Bockin, 9). Squires is also second to Williams in points (23) and game-winning goals (4).
The first-place Boilermakers have scored in 14 straight games dating back to last season and are the only remaining Big Ten team that have not been shut out this year. Wisconsin has posted six shutouts this season, all coming in its first eight games. Minnesota has outscored the opposition 20-6 since dropping its only home game of the season, 1-0 to UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 1.
PURDUE AMONG MOST IMPROVED NATIONALLY
- While scoring 13 more goals, the Boilermakers have already won five more games than they did in 2016. One more victory would allow Purdue to match its biggest win improvement (+6 from 2006 to 2007) in program history and also give the Boilermakers their first 10-win season since 2009 (12-6-3).
- Entering the weekend, Purdue is second nationally with a plus-.527 improvement in winning percentage. Only two other teams have already won more than five games than last season.
- Purdue's goal differential last year was minus-18. Through 12 games this season, it's plus-18 -- good for a 36-goal swing. In program history, the greatest improvement in goal differential was a 41-goal swing from 2006 (+12) to 2007 (+53). While the 2007 team's goal differential record may never been broken, this year's team could challenge the 2003 Boilermakers (+21) for the second-best mark in program history.
QUOTING COACH ROFF
- "Soccer is a game where if you can win the middle of the park, then you have a huge advantage. The ball is going to be in the midfield probably the majority of the time. So if you have someone that can actually break up the play, disrupt the play, win 50-50s, win head balls, but then is also good on the ball and can help retain possession, plus every now and again put the ball in the net, that's a great all-around midfielder. Kylie Hase is a true box-to-box midfielder. She covers a ton of ground and gets it done with or without the ball. She's had a tremendous year and obviously has a very bright future."
WORD ON WISCONSIN
- Each of the Badgers' first five Big Ten games have gone to overtime. They won the first two games, but have only one standings point to show for the 296 minutes of game action they've played over their last three matches. Wisconsin led 2-0 at the half last Friday at Maryland, but had to settle for a 2-2 draw. Rutgers scored in the opening minute of overtime in Sunday's 1-0 final, ending the Badgers' nine-game goal scoring streak. Wisconsin's Aug. 31 win at Virginia (7-3-2), ranked No. 3 at the time, remains one of the Big Ten's top non-conference wins this year.
- Dani Rhodes has accounted for eight of the Badgers' 18 goals. Two other UW forwards share common backgrounds with Purdue seniors. Noblesville, Indiana, native Lauren Rice (3 goals, 2 assists while starting all 12 games) attended the same high school (Guerin Catholic) as Gabby LaMere. Emily Borgmann (8 career goals, 2 in 2017) is from Mississauga, Ontario, the same hometown as Vanessa Korolas. Senior goalkeeper Caitlyn Clem is a three-year starter.
MORE ABOUT MINNESOTA
- While Sydney Squires has accounted for one-third of the Gophers' 30 goals, a school-record 14 different players have scored this year. Eighteen of Minnesota's 30 goals were scored in three blowout wins, putting up big numbers vs. common opponents Iowa State (6) and Michigan State (7). The Gophers ended Rutgers' 10-game unbeaten streak last weekend, with Squires scoring the game-winning goal in the 87th minute. Minnesota then scored twice in the opening 11 minutes of Sunday's win at Maryland.
- April Bockin (2 goals, 9 assists), Juliana Gernes (5 goals, 2 assists) and Molly Fiedler (1 goal, 5 assists) support Squires as the Gophers' most active offensive players. Seniors Maddie Gaffney and Tori Burnett are both three-year starters defensively. They've helped Minnesota surrender only 28 shots on goal in 12 games. Junior Kailee Sharp took over as the starting goalkeeper Sept. 7, seeing her first collegiate action this fall.