LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Purdue soccer team plays its first road game of the regular season at Kentucky on Thursday, August 25, in Lexington, Kentucky.
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.
The match will be broadcast live on SECN+, and live stats are available at Kentucky.Statbroadcast.com. Updates from Lexington 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.
The Boilermakers are 1-1-0 on the season after a 1-0 loss to Vanderbilt on Sunday. The defeat came after a memorable 3-0 victory over No. 15 USC to open the season on August 18. Kentucky enters Thursday evening's matchup with a 2-0-0 mark after a 3-0 win against Ball State before a 4-1 victory at UT Martin.
Through two games, Purdue is second in the Big Ten with six assists and 6.00 saves per game and third with a .550 shot accuracy. The Boilermakers have scored three goals on 20 shots. Individually, freshman forward Naomi Splittorff, the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, is tied for the conference lead with one game-winning goal and she is tops with a 1.000 shot accuracy. Sophomore forward Gracie Dunaway also paces the conference with two goals, which is No. 15 nationally. Additionally, freshman Kayla Budish is No. 15 in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten with two assists and sophomore goalkeeper Sara Kile ranks No. 24 in the country and No. 2 in the league with 12 saves.
SPLITTORFF EARNS FIRST B1G HONOR
Freshman forward Naomi Splittorff was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Tuesday. In her first collegiate game on August 18, Splittorff scored the game-winning goal in the 44th minute to help the Boilermakers beat No. 15 USC. She played in both games last weekend and totaled 66 minutes with four shots, all on target. From Evansville, Indiana, Splittorff is the first Boilermaker to earn Freshman of the Week accolades since now-junior Nicole Kevdzija was honored twice during the 2020 season.
SERIES HISTORY VS. KENTUCKY
Thursday's meeting is the third between the Boilermakers and Wildcats following a 1-1, double-overtime draw last season at Folk Field. The first matchup also resulted in a tie, 0-0 in 2007. The first two contests between Purdue and Kentucky, in 2007 and 2021, were the opening games of two of the greatest seasons in program history, as both Boilermaker squads reached the NCAA Tournament second round. The 2007 team went 20-2-3 and won the Big Ten Tournament title, while the 2021 team posted a 15-4-3 mark and was the Big Ten runner-up.
Last year in West Lafayette, a then-program-record crowd of 2,125 fans watched Purdue rally to tie Kentucky, 1-1. Then-senior forward Sarah Griffith scored the match-tying goal at 47:34, and it was another highlight-reel score that would be ranked No. 5 on ESPN Sports Center's Top-10 Plays later in the evening. Purdue had an 18-14 advantage in shots, and both teams had seven shots on goal. Then-senior goalkeeper Marisa Bova and her UK counterpart each made six saves. UK's goal came in the 30th minute. A complete recap can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Kentucky is 2-0-0 on the season with a pair of three-goal victories. The Wildcats' lidlifter was a 3-0 win over Ball State at home before a 4-1 triumph at UT Martin.
UK leads the SEC with 21.50 shots and 10.50 shots on goal per game. Úlfa Úlfarsdóttir paces the conference with two goals and five points, and Jordyn Rhodes' 5.50 shots and 3.00 shots on goal per game also are league-bests.
LAST TIME OUT: FIRST LOSS
Purdue suffered a 1-0 loss to Vanderbilt on August 21, as a 78th-minute goal was the lone score to conclude the opening weekend of the season. The Boilermakers were out-shot 15-9, and the Commodores had seven shots on goal to Purdue's four. Sophomore goalkeeper Sara Kile made six saves for the second consecutive game and Vanderbilt's keeper stopped all four shots she faced, including one penalty kick. Purdue's nine shots came from eight different players, as senior defender Chloe Woodbeck paced the way with two. Four players had one shot on goal.
A complete recap from the match can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
UP NEXT: BACK HOME AGAIN
Purdue returns home to host Miami (Ohio) on Sunday, August 28, at 1 p.m. ET. Admission is free for all fans to every regular-season home game at Folk Field in 2022. Sunday is the annual Pooches at the Pitch game, where fans are invited to bring their four-legged friends to Folk Field. The first 150 fans with dogs will receive a Purdue dog leash.
BOUNCE-BACK BOILERMAKERS
Purdue went 15-4-3 in 2021, which included a perfect 4-0-0 record following a loss. Each of the Boilermakers' four defeats was followed by a win streak or monumental victory. Six consecutive wins came after the first loss, 1-0 at Notre Dame on September 2. The second defeat was a 2-1 home loss to No. 17 Michigan on September 30, and the Boilermakers went on the road three days later to upset No. 18 Wisconsin, 2-1. That victory put the team in the top-25 and began a three-game win streak.
A 2-1 loss at Penn State on October 17 was answered with another three-game win streak to conclude the regular season and begin the Big Ten Tournament. The season's final loss was in the Big Ten Semifinal to No. 13 Michigan on November 4, 4-1. Purdue then won its NCAA Tournament First Round game in double overtime, 1-0 against Loyola, before a 1-1 draw to Notre Dame in the second round.
MEMORABLE SEASON-OPENING WIN
The win over No. 15 USC on August 18 to open the season was the Boilermakers' highest-ranked home win since 2006, and it came 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.
A complete recap from the match, including box score, postgame comments from coach Drew Roff and highlights, can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
OPENING-WEEKEND SUCCESS
The season-opening victory vs. No. 15 USC was just the second time the Boilermakers played a top-25 opponent to open the year in program history. Purdue also posted a top-25 win to begin the 2002 season, 1-0 against No. 16 St. Mary's at a neutral site.
In eighth-year head coach Drew Roff's tenure, the Boilermakers' are 8-4-2 in opening-weekend games. Following the opening-night win, the Boilermakers are 6-1-1 in season-openers and 7-0-1 in home-opening contests.
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.
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.
The match will be broadcast live on SECN+, and live stats are available at Kentucky.Statbroadcast.com. Updates from Lexington 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.
The Boilermakers are 1-1-0 on the season after a 1-0 loss to Vanderbilt on Sunday. The defeat came after a memorable 3-0 victory over No. 15 USC to open the season on August 18. Kentucky enters Thursday evening's matchup with a 2-0-0 mark after a 3-0 win against Ball State before a 4-1 victory at UT Martin.
Through two games, Purdue is second in the Big Ten with six assists and 6.00 saves per game and third with a .550 shot accuracy. The Boilermakers have scored three goals on 20 shots. Individually, freshman forward Naomi Splittorff, the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, is tied for the conference lead with one game-winning goal and she is tops with a 1.000 shot accuracy. Sophomore forward Gracie Dunaway also paces the conference with two goals, which is No. 15 nationally. Additionally, freshman Kayla Budish is No. 15 in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten with two assists and sophomore goalkeeper Sara Kile ranks No. 24 in the country and No. 2 in the league with 12 saves.
SPLITTORFF EARNS FIRST B1G HONOR
Freshman forward Naomi Splittorff was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Tuesday. In her first collegiate game on August 18, Splittorff scored the game-winning goal in the 44th minute to help the Boilermakers beat No. 15 USC. She played in both games last weekend and totaled 66 minutes with four shots, all on target. From Evansville, Indiana, Splittorff is the first Boilermaker to earn Freshman of the Week accolades since now-junior Nicole Kevdzija was honored twice during the 2020 season.
SERIES HISTORY VS. KENTUCKY
Thursday's meeting is the third between the Boilermakers and Wildcats following a 1-1, double-overtime draw last season at Folk Field. The first matchup also resulted in a tie, 0-0 in 2007. The first two contests between Purdue and Kentucky, in 2007 and 2021, were the opening games of two of the greatest seasons in program history, as both Boilermaker squads reached the NCAA Tournament second round. The 2007 team went 20-2-3 and won the Big Ten Tournament title, while the 2021 team posted a 15-4-3 mark and was the Big Ten runner-up.
Last year in West Lafayette, a then-program-record crowd of 2,125 fans watched Purdue rally to tie Kentucky, 1-1. Then-senior forward Sarah Griffith scored the match-tying goal at 47:34, and it was another highlight-reel score that would be ranked No. 5 on ESPN Sports Center's Top-10 Plays later in the evening. Purdue had an 18-14 advantage in shots, and both teams had seven shots on goal. Then-senior goalkeeper Marisa Bova and her UK counterpart each made six saves. UK's goal came in the 30th minute. A complete recap can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Kentucky is 2-0-0 on the season with a pair of three-goal victories. The Wildcats' lidlifter was a 3-0 win over Ball State at home before a 4-1 triumph at UT Martin.
UK leads the SEC with 21.50 shots and 10.50 shots on goal per game. Úlfa Úlfarsdóttir paces the conference with two goals and five points, and Jordyn Rhodes' 5.50 shots and 3.00 shots on goal per game also are league-bests.
LAST TIME OUT: FIRST LOSS
Purdue suffered a 1-0 loss to Vanderbilt on August 21, as a 78th-minute goal was the lone score to conclude the opening weekend of the season. The Boilermakers were out-shot 15-9, and the Commodores had seven shots on goal to Purdue's four. Sophomore goalkeeper Sara Kile made six saves for the second consecutive game and Vanderbilt's keeper stopped all four shots she faced, including one penalty kick. Purdue's nine shots came from eight different players, as senior defender Chloe Woodbeck paced the way with two. Four players had one shot on goal.
A complete recap from the match can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
UP NEXT: BACK HOME AGAIN
Purdue returns home to host Miami (Ohio) on Sunday, August 28, at 1 p.m. ET. Admission is free for all fans to every regular-season home game at Folk Field in 2022. Sunday is the annual Pooches at the Pitch game, where fans are invited to bring their four-legged friends to Folk Field. The first 150 fans with dogs will receive a Purdue dog leash.
BOUNCE-BACK BOILERMAKERS
Purdue went 15-4-3 in 2021, which included a perfect 4-0-0 record following a loss. Each of the Boilermakers' four defeats was followed by a win streak or monumental victory. Six consecutive wins came after the first loss, 1-0 at Notre Dame on September 2. The second defeat was a 2-1 home loss to No. 17 Michigan on September 30, and the Boilermakers went on the road three days later to upset No. 18 Wisconsin, 2-1. That victory put the team in the top-25 and began a three-game win streak.
A 2-1 loss at Penn State on October 17 was answered with another three-game win streak to conclude the regular season and begin the Big Ten Tournament. The season's final loss was in the Big Ten Semifinal to No. 13 Michigan on November 4, 4-1. Purdue then won its NCAA Tournament First Round game in double overtime, 1-0 against Loyola, before a 1-1 draw to Notre Dame in the second round.
MEMORABLE SEASON-OPENING WIN
The win over No. 15 USC on August 18 to open the season was the Boilermakers' highest-ranked home win since 2006, and it came 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.
A complete recap from the match, including box score, postgame comments from coach Drew Roff and highlights, can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
OPENING-WEEKEND SUCCESS
The season-opening victory vs. No. 15 USC was just the second time the Boilermakers played a top-25 opponent to open the year in program history. Purdue also posted a top-25 win to begin the 2002 season, 1-0 against No. 16 St. Mary's at a neutral site.
In eighth-year head coach Drew Roff's tenure, the Boilermakers' are 8-4-2 in opening-weekend games. Following the opening-night win, the Boilermakers are 6-1-1 in season-openers and 7-0-1 in home-opening contests.
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.