WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A pair of first career goals within the first 14 minutes powered the Purdue soccer team to a 4-1 win over Valparaiso on Thursday night at Folk Field in West Lafayette, Indiana.
On a hot and muggy evening, the Boilermakers (2-1-0) took an early lead in the fifth minute for the second consecutive game and led 2-0 after 14 minutes. The goals, by freshman forward Lauren Omholt and freshman defender Zoe Cuneio, were the first of their careers. A pair of veterans, senior midfielder Emily Mathews and junior forward Gracie Dunaway, scored in the second half to secure Purdue's second consecutive win.
The four-goal performance came after an 8-0 win on Sunday. Eight of the 12 goals in Purdue's last two games were scored by different Boilermakers, and four of the goals in the two-game win streak have been first career goals.
As the Beacons (2-1-0) suffer their first loss of the year, they allowed more than three goals for the first time since October, 2021. The Boilermakers also improve to 5-0-0 all-time in the in-state series, which was contested for the first time since 2009.
Purdue held a 19-5 advantage in shots and an 8-3 edge in shots on goal in the game. The home side had six corner kicks to the visitors' three, and the Boilermakers had 10 fouls to Valpo's four.
Mathews added a pair of assists in addition to her goal, and sophomore forward Kayla Budish and freshman midfielder Lauren Adam also earned assists. Cuneio's goal, from Adam, was the game-winner, which is the first game-winning goal and assist of their careers.
Dunaway had a game-high eight shots, and she and Cuneio both had two shots on goal. Cuneio registered three shots and Budish had two. Senior Charlotte Cyr made two saves to earn the win, while her Valpo counterpart stopped four shots.
For the second game in a row the Boilermakers took a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute, as Omholt netted her first collegiate goal at 4:49 to begin the night. Off a Valparaiso corner kick, Purdue headed the ball out of the penalty area to Mathews, who quickly turned and went on the attack. With just two Valparaiso players ahead of her, Mathews found Omholt on the run with a long pass over the halfway line. Omholt beat the one defender to the ball and was one-on-one with the keeper more than 25 yards from the goal. On the left side, she dribbled into the penalty box and beat the goalkeeper, who was off her line, with a well-placed finish into the bottom-right corner from 10 yards out.
Cuneio added to the lead less than 10 minutes later with her first goal at 13:53. Off a corner kick from Adam, Cuneio came running in, unmarked, and connected with a header at the top of the six-yard box that went through the legs of the goalkeeper.
That made it 2-0, a lead that Purdue maintained the rest of the first half. The home side had eight shots, four on goal, in the first 45 minutes, while the Beacons registered two shots, one on target which Cyr made the easy save of.
Purdue had an almost-as-quick start to the second half thanks to Mathews' goal at 51:26 to extend the lead to 3-0. After dribbling near the top of the 18-yard box with two defenders around her, Budish sent a ball into the box to meet a running Mathews at the right corner of the goal area. Mathews needed just one touch to fire a shot in across the goal mouth to the far corner for her first goal of the season and the eighth of her career.
The Beacons got their lone goal at 59:42, as Nicole Norfolk scored unassisted.
It was 3-1 for just eight minutes before Dunaway sent a strike into the upper 90 to make it 4-1. Sophomore defender Olivia Hall got a steal and sent a pass over the halfway line to Mathews. She turned and then found a moving Dunaway, who brought the ball into the penalty area on the left side. Dunaway briefly paused, moved several feet to her right and away from the Valparaiso defender, and sent a right-footed shot into the top-right corner of the goal.
The goal was Dunaway's third in two games and the 10th of her career.
In the final half, Purdue had an 11-3 advantage in shots, with four shots on goal to Valpo's two. Cyr made one save in the frame. The Boilermakers earned three corner kicks and allowed none in the second half.
Up next, Purdue wraps up its season-opening four-game homestand against Wake Forest on Sunday, August 27. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET, and admission is free for all fans.
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.
On a hot and muggy evening, the Boilermakers (2-1-0) took an early lead in the fifth minute for the second consecutive game and led 2-0 after 14 minutes. The goals, by freshman forward Lauren Omholt and freshman defender Zoe Cuneio, were the first of their careers. A pair of veterans, senior midfielder Emily Mathews and junior forward Gracie Dunaway, scored in the second half to secure Purdue's second consecutive win.
The four-goal performance came after an 8-0 win on Sunday. Eight of the 12 goals in Purdue's last two games were scored by different Boilermakers, and four of the goals in the two-game win streak have been first career goals.
As the Beacons (2-1-0) suffer their first loss of the year, they allowed more than three goals for the first time since October, 2021. The Boilermakers also improve to 5-0-0 all-time in the in-state series, which was contested for the first time since 2009.
Purdue held a 19-5 advantage in shots and an 8-3 edge in shots on goal in the game. The home side had six corner kicks to the visitors' three, and the Boilermakers had 10 fouls to Valpo's four.
Mathews added a pair of assists in addition to her goal, and sophomore forward Kayla Budish and freshman midfielder Lauren Adam also earned assists. Cuneio's goal, from Adam, was the game-winner, which is the first game-winning goal and assist of their careers.
Dunaway had a game-high eight shots, and she and Cuneio both had two shots on goal. Cuneio registered three shots and Budish had two. Senior Charlotte Cyr made two saves to earn the win, while her Valpo counterpart stopped four shots.
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For the second game in a row the Boilermakers took a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute, as Omholt netted her first collegiate goal at 4:49 to begin the night. Off a Valparaiso corner kick, Purdue headed the ball out of the penalty area to Mathews, who quickly turned and went on the attack. With just two Valparaiso players ahead of her, Mathews found Omholt on the run with a long pass over the halfway line. Omholt beat the one defender to the ball and was one-on-one with the keeper more than 25 yards from the goal. On the left side, she dribbled into the penalty box and beat the goalkeeper, who was off her line, with a well-placed finish into the bottom-right corner from 10 yards out.
Cuneio added to the lead less than 10 minutes later with her first goal at 13:53. Off a corner kick from Adam, Cuneio came running in, unmarked, and connected with a header at the top of the six-yard box that went through the legs of the goalkeeper.
That made it 2-0, a lead that Purdue maintained the rest of the first half. The home side had eight shots, four on goal, in the first 45 minutes, while the Beacons registered two shots, one on target which Cyr made the easy save of.
Purdue had an almost-as-quick start to the second half thanks to Mathews' goal at 51:26 to extend the lead to 3-0. After dribbling near the top of the 18-yard box with two defenders around her, Budish sent a ball into the box to meet a running Mathews at the right corner of the goal area. Mathews needed just one touch to fire a shot in across the goal mouth to the far corner for her first goal of the season and the eighth of her career.
The Beacons got their lone goal at 59:42, as Nicole Norfolk scored unassisted.
It was 3-1 for just eight minutes before Dunaway sent a strike into the upper 90 to make it 4-1. Sophomore defender Olivia Hall got a steal and sent a pass over the halfway line to Mathews. She turned and then found a moving Dunaway, who brought the ball into the penalty area on the left side. Dunaway briefly paused, moved several feet to her right and away from the Valparaiso defender, and sent a right-footed shot into the top-right corner of the goal.
The goal was Dunaway's third in two games and the 10th of her career.
In the final half, Purdue had an 11-3 advantage in shots, with four shots on goal to Valpo's two. Cyr made one save in the frame. The Boilermakers earned three corner kicks and allowed none in the second half.
Up next, Purdue wraps up its season-opening four-game homestand against Wake Forest on Sunday, August 27. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET, and admission is free for all fans.
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.