EVANSTON, Ill. – Big Ten Conference play begins for the Purdue soccer team at No. 18 Northwestern on Sunday, September 18, in Evanston, Illinois.
The conference opener is set for 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT, at NU's Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium.
The match will be broadcast live on B1G+, and live stats are available at NUSports.com. Updates from Evanston also can be found by following @PurdueSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links to follow along are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
Purdue will play its third top-25 opponent of the season and second ranked foe in as many matches. The Boilermakers begin Big Ten competition after they earned a second-place showing in the conference in 2021, tied for their best finish in program history.
On the road to commence Big Ten play for the third consecutive year, the Boilermakers are coming off a nine-day break. Purdue is 3-4-0 following a 3-1 loss to No. 9 Notre Dame on September 8. Against top-25 foes, the Old Gold and Black are 1-1-0, with a 3-0 win over No. 15 USC on opening night to go along with the ND defeat. The Boilermakers are 1-2-0 away from home.
The Wildcats own a 6-1-1 record after a 1-0 victory against Butler on September 11, which extended their win streak to four. NU is ranked No. 18 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
Through six games, the Boilermakers lead the Big Ten with 5.43 saves per game. They are sixth with a .492 shot accuracy and seventh with 11 total assists. Purdue has scored nine goals and recorded 29 points on 63 shots, 31 on target. The Boilermakers have allowed nine goals.
Individually, sophomore goalkeeper Sara Kile is No. 22 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten with 6.17 saves per game, and she also leads the league with 37 saves and is sixth with a .822 save percentage. Sophomore forward Gracie Dunaway is seventh in the conference with four goals and junior midfielder Emily Mathews ranks No. 7 in the Big Ten with three assists. Dunaway has a team-best 10 points, while freshman forward Kayla Budish paces the team with 16 shots, eight on goal.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHWESTERN
Purdue is 17-7-1 all-time against Northwestern and 6-4-2 in Evanston. The Boilermakers are unbeaten in the last four regular-season matchups, including a 1-0 home victory in 2021 and a scoreless draw on the road in 2019.
A year ago, Purdue clinched its second-place Big Ten finish with a 1-0 victory over NU on October 21 at Folk Field. Forward Sydney Duarte scored her first career game-winning goal in the 16th minute as Emily Mathews and Gracie Dunaway registered assists.
A complete recap from the match is available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Northwestern is 6-1-1 on the season and 4-0-0 at home. The Wildcats have won four in a row and are unbeaten in their last six. The run includes back-to-back ranked victories, 2-0 over No. 19 Xavier on September 4 and 1-0 against No. 6 Stanford on September 8. NU's lone loss was a 1-0 defeat at Kansas on August 21.
Statistically, NU is No. 10 in the country with a 0.375 goals-against average and No. 25 with a .625 shutout percentage. The Wildcats are third in the Big Ten with 18 assists and 7.25 shots on goal per game, while they are fourth with 56 points and fifth with 14 goals. Individually, Josie Aulicino is No. 6 in the NCAA with a .750 shot accuracy and No. 11 with five assists. Mia Raben's 0.250 goals-against-average is No. 9 nationally, while her 917 save percentage is No. 12.
LAST TIME OUT: NON-CONFERENCE FINALE
In a closely-contested match, Purdue lost to No. 9 Notre Dame, 3-1, on September 8. The Boilermakers and Fighting Irish played a scoreless first half, with multiple chances for both teams, before UND scored two quick goals in the 59th minute. Purdue answered right back three minutes later on freshman forward Kayla Budish's first career goal in the 62nd minute to make it a 2-1 game. However, the home side could not find the equalizer, and Notre Dame added its third goal with seven minutes left.
Budish's goal was just the second allowed by UND at the time. Purdue had six shots, tied for second-most allowed by Notre Dame at that point, and three shots on goal, tied for the most the Fighting Irish had allowed in a game in 2022. Both teams had three corners, the fewest Notre Dame had earned in a contest and the most it had allowed. The Fighting Irish had 29 shots, though they were held to seven shots on target, their fewest.
Budish had five of Purdue's six shots and all three of the team's shots on goal. Senior forward Gabby Hollar came off the bench and also registered a shot. Sophomore goalkeeper Sara Kile made four saves and her UND counterpart stopped two shots.
A complete recap can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
UP NEXT: BACK AT FOLK FIELD
Purdue returns home to host Wisconsin in a nationally-televised contest on ESPNU on Thursday, September 22, at 5 p.m. ET. It is $2 beer night, and admission is free for all fans to every regular-season home game at Folk Field 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 conference opener is set for 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT, at NU's Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium.
The match will be broadcast live on B1G+, and live stats are available at NUSports.com. Updates from Evanston also can be found by following @PurdueSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links to follow along are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
Purdue will play its third top-25 opponent of the season and second ranked foe in as many matches. The Boilermakers begin Big Ten competition after they earned a second-place showing in the conference in 2021, tied for their best finish in program history.
On the road to commence Big Ten play for the third consecutive year, the Boilermakers are coming off a nine-day break. Purdue is 3-4-0 following a 3-1 loss to No. 9 Notre Dame on September 8. Against top-25 foes, the Old Gold and Black are 1-1-0, with a 3-0 win over No. 15 USC on opening night to go along with the ND defeat. The Boilermakers are 1-2-0 away from home.
The Wildcats own a 6-1-1 record after a 1-0 victory against Butler on September 11, which extended their win streak to four. NU is ranked No. 18 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
Through six games, the Boilermakers lead the Big Ten with 5.43 saves per game. They are sixth with a .492 shot accuracy and seventh with 11 total assists. Purdue has scored nine goals and recorded 29 points on 63 shots, 31 on target. The Boilermakers have allowed nine goals.
Individually, sophomore goalkeeper Sara Kile is No. 22 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten with 6.17 saves per game, and she also leads the league with 37 saves and is sixth with a .822 save percentage. Sophomore forward Gracie Dunaway is seventh in the conference with four goals and junior midfielder Emily Mathews ranks No. 7 in the Big Ten with three assists. Dunaway has a team-best 10 points, while freshman forward Kayla Budish paces the team with 16 shots, eight on goal.
A top-25 opponent awaits in the Big Ten opener!#BoilerUp 🚂⚽️ pic.twitter.com/yHiXLIZ1rC
— Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) September 16, 2022
SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHWESTERN
Purdue is 17-7-1 all-time against Northwestern and 6-4-2 in Evanston. The Boilermakers are unbeaten in the last four regular-season matchups, including a 1-0 home victory in 2021 and a scoreless draw on the road in 2019.
A year ago, Purdue clinched its second-place Big Ten finish with a 1-0 victory over NU on October 21 at Folk Field. Forward Sydney Duarte scored her first career game-winning goal in the 16th minute as Emily Mathews and Gracie Dunaway registered assists.
A complete recap from the match is available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Northwestern is 6-1-1 on the season and 4-0-0 at home. The Wildcats have won four in a row and are unbeaten in their last six. The run includes back-to-back ranked victories, 2-0 over No. 19 Xavier on September 4 and 1-0 against No. 6 Stanford on September 8. NU's lone loss was a 1-0 defeat at Kansas on August 21.
Statistically, NU is No. 10 in the country with a 0.375 goals-against average and No. 25 with a .625 shutout percentage. The Wildcats are third in the Big Ten with 18 assists and 7.25 shots on goal per game, while they are fourth with 56 points and fifth with 14 goals. Individually, Josie Aulicino is No. 6 in the NCAA with a .750 shot accuracy and No. 11 with five assists. Mia Raben's 0.250 goals-against-average is No. 9 nationally, while her 917 save percentage is No. 12.
LAST TIME OUT: NON-CONFERENCE FINALE
In a closely-contested match, Purdue lost to No. 9 Notre Dame, 3-1, on September 8. The Boilermakers and Fighting Irish played a scoreless first half, with multiple chances for both teams, before UND scored two quick goals in the 59th minute. Purdue answered right back three minutes later on freshman forward Kayla Budish's first career goal in the 62nd minute to make it a 2-1 game. However, the home side could not find the equalizer, and Notre Dame added its third goal with seven minutes left.
Budish's goal was just the second allowed by UND at the time. Purdue had six shots, tied for second-most allowed by Notre Dame at that point, and three shots on goal, tied for the most the Fighting Irish had allowed in a game in 2022. Both teams had three corners, the fewest Notre Dame had earned in a contest and the most it had allowed. The Fighting Irish had 29 shots, though they were held to seven shots on target, their fewest.
Budish had five of Purdue's six shots and all three of the team's shots on goal. Senior forward Gabby Hollar came off the bench and also registered a shot. Sophomore goalkeeper Sara Kile made four saves and her UND counterpart stopped two shots.
A complete recap can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
UP NEXT: BACK AT FOLK FIELD
Purdue returns home to host Wisconsin in a nationally-televised contest on ESPNU on Thursday, September 22, at 5 p.m. ET. It is $2 beer night, and admission is free for all fans to every regular-season home game at Folk Field 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.