WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue soccer team opened the 2022 season with a statement win over No. 15 USC, 3-0 in front of a record crowd at Folk Field on Thursday night.
The Boilermakers (1-0-0) earned their highest-ranked home win since 2006 in front of 3,296 fans, the largest home crowd in program history by more than 1,000.
In a matchup between two NCAA Tournament, top-25 and conference runners-up from a year ago, Purdue took a 1-0 lead late in the first half on a goal by freshman forward Naomi Splittorff. Sophomore forward Gracie Dunaway added two goals in the second half to seal the top-15 victory while freshman forward Kayla Budish registered two assists. Meanwhile, sophomore goalkeeper Sara Kile, making her first collegiate start, had six saves to earn her first career shutout.
The second Boiler Gold Rush season-opening kickoff game shattered the team attendance record, as 3,296 fans streamed through the Folk Field gates and were encircling the pitch more than 30 minutes before kickoff. The crowd easily topped the previous record of 2,125, set last season, and almost doubles what is now No. 3 on the list, 1,712 set in 2016.
"The crowd tonight was absolutely electric," Purdue coach Drew Roff said. "To break the attendance record by over 1,000 is something that even we didn't expect it to be quite like that. But, just having the Boilermaker supporters behind us obviously helped us go that extra mile. You'll never forget nights like tonight, no matter what the result, the environment makes it a night that you'll never forget. But, to get a result like that, it takes it to another level. So, it was incredible. The noise and the fans when the goals were scored, people going crazy, it was a special night."
The Boilermakers, who entered the year receiving votes in the national coaches poll for the first time since 2010 and just the sixth time in program history, played a top-25 opponent on opening night for the second time ever. The result in 2002 was similar, a 1-0 victory against No. 16 Saint Mary's in California. Thursday night's win also was the team's highest-ranked home triumph since a 2-0 result against No. 12 Utah in 2006.
Thursday against the Trojans (0-1-0), Purdue had 11 shots, seven in the second half, while USC had 17 shots, 11 in the opening 45 minutes. The Boilermakers held a 7-6 edge in shots on goal. As Kile made six saves, the Trojan keeper had four.
Splittorff provided a spark off the bench to score her first goal in her first collegiate appearance. She entered the game in the 34th minute and scored 10 minutes later in the 44th. Budish and sophomore midfielder Abigail Roy earned assists on the eventual game-winning goal.
The play began when Splittorff sent a quick pass back to Roy, who then delivered a perfectly-placed ball towards the top of the 18-yard box to Budish. The ball bounced off of Budish's boot to her right, directly to Splittorff who fired a shot on target. Splittorff beat a leaping USC keeper with the goal into the upper-left corner of the net at 43:08.
That sent the Folk Field crowd into a frenzy, as the Boilermakers took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
"For their college debut, you can't ask for much more, just playing in front of 3,200 people as your first collegiate game," Roff said of Budish and Splittorff's performances. "There's got to be some nerves there, and for them to come through, be dangerous and create against some very talented backs from USC, and to create dangerous opportunities and actually put some in the net. I am just so impressed with their composure and their quality, but they showed what they can do and it's just a fantastic start for them. I am really excited."
Dunaway's two second-half goals provided the insurance, and comes after she scored one goal all year as a freshman in 2021.
Her first goal came at 58:57 and was assisted by Budish and junior midfielder Emily Mathews. On the near sideline, Mathews sprinted past a USC defender and dribbled to the corner of the 18-yard box. She centered the ball to Budish at the top of the box, who two-touched it and sent a short pass to a wide open Dunaway. From 10 yards out on the right side, Dunaway sent a strike to the far post that sailed into the top-left corner of the goal.
Dunaway made it 3-0 at 70:02, with senior midfielder Sydney Duarte and senior defender Chloe Woodbeck earning the assists. Woodbeck ran down a ball that trickled into the far corner and sent it back towards the top of the six-yard box. With a USC defender on her back and about to push her down, Duarte headed it towards goal. The ball deflected off another Trojan defender for Dunaway, who slid and poked it in from within three yards of the goal line.
"That next goal is massive," Roff said of Dunaway's first goal. "Either they go and tie it up or we go up 2-0, and that just set our confidence. We knew we could play with them after the first half, but to score that second one kind of brought the house down. I thought the crowd was just going crazy. Our bench was really excited. And that gave us that boost to say, 'yeah, we really can do this. Let's just keep going.' And then of course the third one was huge as well. But that second goal, that's massive."
As the Boilermakers found the back of net three times, Kile wowed the massive crowd just as much, with six saves that each seemed bigger than the last. Her first stop came just five minutes into the match, and the sophomore saved another in the 22nd minute. A 33rd-minute save by Kile was her last before Splittorff's goal.
Kile made two huge saves in the 58th and 59th minutes, the second of which came less than 30 seconds before Dunaway made it 2-0. Those two saves preserved the shutout and allowed Purdue to extend its advantage. Kile's final stop was in the 80th minute.
"Sara was phenomenal," Roff said. "She was great. She's a tremendous athlete, and she's really good with her feet, which allows us to play out of the back and do some things that we like to do. But she was up to the task and got a couple of big-time saves. She is so quick off her line, which is important because they had some players that have a lot of pace. So she came out a couple times and just took care of things before they got too dangerous. But for her first official start, she was just tremendous, and that's such an important position. I am really happy for her, she's put in a lot of work, and to get a clean sheet on opening night, it's an impressive performance by her."
Up next, the opening weekend concludes when Purdue hosts Vanderbilt on Sunday, August 21, at 1 p.m. ET. Admission at Folk Field is free for all fans during the regular season in 2022.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers at @PurdueSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Boilermakers (1-0-0) earned their highest-ranked home win since 2006 in front of 3,296 fans, the largest home crowd in program history by more than 1,000.
In a matchup between two NCAA Tournament, top-25 and conference runners-up from a year ago, Purdue took a 1-0 lead late in the first half on a goal by freshman forward Naomi Splittorff. Sophomore forward Gracie Dunaway added two goals in the second half to seal the top-15 victory while freshman forward Kayla Budish registered two assists. Meanwhile, sophomore goalkeeper Sara Kile, making her first collegiate start, had six saves to earn her first career shutout.
The second Boiler Gold Rush season-opening kickoff game shattered the team attendance record, as 3,296 fans streamed through the Folk Field gates and were encircling the pitch more than 30 minutes before kickoff. The crowd easily topped the previous record of 2,125, set last season, and almost doubles what is now No. 3 on the list, 1,712 set in 2016.
"The crowd tonight was absolutely electric," Purdue coach Drew Roff said. "To break the attendance record by over 1,000 is something that even we didn't expect it to be quite like that. But, just having the Boilermaker supporters behind us obviously helped us go that extra mile. You'll never forget nights like tonight, no matter what the result, the environment makes it a night that you'll never forget. But, to get a result like that, it takes it to another level. So, it was incredible. The noise and the fans when the goals were scored, people going crazy, it was a special night."
The Boilermakers, who entered the year receiving votes in the national coaches poll for the first time since 2010 and just the sixth time in program history, played a top-25 opponent on opening night for the second time ever. The result in 2002 was similar, a 1-0 victory against No. 16 Saint Mary's in California. Thursday night's win also was the team's highest-ranked home triumph since a 2-0 result against No. 12 Utah in 2006.
Thursday against the Trojans (0-1-0), Purdue had 11 shots, seven in the second half, while USC had 17 shots, 11 in the opening 45 minutes. The Boilermakers held a 7-6 edge in shots on goal. As Kile made six saves, the Trojan keeper had four.
Splittorff provided a spark off the bench to score her first goal in her first collegiate appearance. She entered the game in the 34th minute and scored 10 minutes later in the 44th. Budish and sophomore midfielder Abigail Roy earned assists on the eventual game-winning goal.
The play began when Splittorff sent a quick pass back to Roy, who then delivered a perfectly-placed ball towards the top of the 18-yard box to Budish. The ball bounced off of Budish's boot to her right, directly to Splittorff who fired a shot on target. Splittorff beat a leaping USC keeper with the goal into the upper-left corner of the net at 43:08.
Naomi Splittorff's first career goal gives the Boilermakers the lead into halftime! 43:08 from Kyla Budish and Abigail Roy.
— Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) August 19, 2022
📺 BTN#BoilerUp 🚂⚽️ pic.twitter.com/RxWJHz48fT
That sent the Folk Field crowd into a frenzy, as the Boilermakers took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
"For their college debut, you can't ask for much more, just playing in front of 3,200 people as your first collegiate game," Roff said of Budish and Splittorff's performances. "There's got to be some nerves there, and for them to come through, be dangerous and create against some very talented backs from USC, and to create dangerous opportunities and actually put some in the net. I am just so impressed with their composure and their quality, but they showed what they can do and it's just a fantastic start for them. I am really excited."
Dunaway's two second-half goals provided the insurance, and comes after she scored one goal all year as a freshman in 2021.
Her first goal came at 58:57 and was assisted by Budish and junior midfielder Emily Mathews. On the near sideline, Mathews sprinted past a USC defender and dribbled to the corner of the 18-yard box. She centered the ball to Budish at the top of the box, who two-touched it and sent a short pass to a wide open Dunaway. From 10 yards out on the right side, Dunaway sent a strike to the far post that sailed into the top-left corner of the goal.
What a strike by Gracie Dunaway for her first goal!
— Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) August 19, 2022
58:57 from Kayla Budish and Emily Mathews.
📺 BTN#BoilerUp 🚂⚽️ pic.twitter.com/2WaZoIe2r7
Dunaway made it 3-0 at 70:02, with senior midfielder Sydney Duarte and senior defender Chloe Woodbeck earning the assists. Woodbeck ran down a ball that trickled into the far corner and sent it back towards the top of the six-yard box. With a USC defender on her back and about to push her down, Duarte headed it towards goal. The ball deflected off another Trojan defender for Dunaway, who slid and poked it in from within three yards of the goal line.
"That next goal is massive," Roff said of Dunaway's first goal. "Either they go and tie it up or we go up 2-0, and that just set our confidence. We knew we could play with them after the first half, but to score that second one kind of brought the house down. I thought the crowd was just going crazy. Our bench was really excited. And that gave us that boost to say, 'yeah, we really can do this. Let's just keep going.' And then of course the third one was huge as well. But that second goal, that's massive."
Grac(i)e with the Brace!!
— Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) August 19, 2022
📺 BTN#BoilerUp 🚂⚽️ pic.twitter.com/KmVoqPO3Ii
As the Boilermakers found the back of net three times, Kile wowed the massive crowd just as much, with six saves that each seemed bigger than the last. Her first stop came just five minutes into the match, and the sophomore saved another in the 22nd minute. A 33rd-minute save by Kile was her last before Splittorff's goal.
Kile made two huge saves in the 58th and 59th minutes, the second of which came less than 30 seconds before Dunaway made it 2-0. Those two saves preserved the shutout and allowed Purdue to extend its advantage. Kile's final stop was in the 80th minute.
"Sara was phenomenal," Roff said. "She was great. She's a tremendous athlete, and she's really good with her feet, which allows us to play out of the back and do some things that we like to do. But she was up to the task and got a couple of big-time saves. She is so quick off her line, which is important because they had some players that have a lot of pace. So she came out a couple times and just took care of things before they got too dangerous. But for her first official start, she was just tremendous, and that's such an important position. I am really happy for her, she's put in a lot of work, and to get a clean sheet on opening night, it's an impressive performance by her."
Up next, the opening weekend concludes when Purdue hosts Vanderbilt on Sunday, August 21, at 1 p.m. ET. Admission at Folk Field is free for all fans during the regular season in 2022.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers at @PurdueSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.