WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue soccer team commences Big Ten Conference play against No. 18 Northwestern at Folk Field on Sunday, September 17, at 1 p.m. ET, on a day where the team also will honors its seniors and alumnae.
Admission is free for all fans to the contest and to each regular-season home game in 2023. Sunday is Senior Day, and Purdue's eight seniors will be recognized in a pregame ceremony, beginning at 12:40 p.m. As part of the annual Alumnae Reunion Weekend, alumnae will be honored on the field at halftime to cap a weekend that included Saturday night's football game and events with the soccer team on Saturday. As a reminder to all fans, a clear bag policy is in effect for all Purdue Athletics events once again in 2023.
The game will be broadcast live on B1G+, and live stats are available at PurdueStats.com. Updates also can be found by following and connecting with @PurdueSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links to follow along are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
The Boilermakers and Wildcats both enter conference play following a week off after a win on September 10. Purdue bested Western Kentucky at home to improve to 3-5-0 and Northwestern downed Virginia Tech on the road and is 6-0-2. No 18 NU is Purdue's fourth top-25 opponent in its opening nine games.
The Boilermakers have scored 15 goals with 18 assists for 48 points on 97 shots and 44 shots on target. Eight of Purdue's 15 goals have come from different players, and four of those are first career goals. The Old Gold and Black have allowed 14 goals on 79 shots, 39 on goal.
Individually, senior goalkeeper Charlotte Cyr also is third in the Big Ten with 699:32 minutes played and senior midfielder Emily Mathews ranks No. 4 in the conference with four assists. Sophomore forward Kayla Budish leads the team with eight points, and she and junior forward/midfielder Gracie Dunaway share the team lead of three goals and eight shots on goal. Dunaway also paces the squad with 20 shots and is second on the team with six points, along with junior forward Megan Hutchinson. Cyr has made 25 saves with a 1.80 goals-against average and a .641 save percentage.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern is 6-0-2 on the season and 3-0-1 away from home. NU last earned a 3-2 win at Virginia Tech on Sunday, which came after a 4-1 home triumph over Weber State. The Wildcats' two draws are to Kansas State, 0-0 on August 20, and at Vanderbilt, 3-3 on September 3.
Northwestern is ranked No. 18 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. The Wildcats also check in at No. 21 in the College Soccer News top-30.
Northwestern is ninth in the NCAA with 27 goals scored, and the Wildcats are 11th with 24 assists and 78 points. NU has registered 132 shots, 69 on goal, while allowing seven goals on 53 shots. Meg Boade is second nationally with eight assists and No. 20 with 17 points and Ella Hase leads the team with six goals and is tied for second with 14 points. In goal, Reiley Fitzpatrick has made 18 saves for a .720 save percentage and a 0.91 goals-against average with two shutouts.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WILDCATS
Purdue is 17-8-1 in the all-time series against Northwestern and 10-3-0 in West Lafayette. A year ago, the Boilermakers suffered a 3-0 loss to the 18th-ranked Wildcats to open Big Ten play on September 18. On a hot afternoon in Evanston, NU scored in the fifth minute and added goals in the 20th and 29th minutes. The home side had a 12-7 advantage in shots, though it was 6-4 in Purdue's favor in the second half.
LAST TIME OUT: NON-CONFERENCE-FINISHING WIN
A two-goal second half propelled Purdue to a 2-1 comeback victory over Western Kentucky on September 10. In the final non-conference game of the regular season, Hutchinson scored the game-winning goal in the 69th minute, after Budish started the rally with the tying goal in the 58th. The visitors took an early lead in the 10th minute but were held goalless for the final 80 minutes.
The Boilermakers had 14 shots, six on target, and the Hilltoppers had eight shots, five on goal. Both teams had a pair of corner kicks, one in each half, and Purdue had nine fouls to WKU's five. Mathews led the Boilermakers with three shots, while she and Budish each had two shots on goal. Cyr made four saves, as did her WKU counterpart.
Budish netted her team-high-tying third goal in 2023 and seventh of her career, as she is one goal shy of matching her total of four from her freshman campaign a year ago. Hutchinson came off the bench to score her second career goal, both coming this season, and she notched her first career game-winner. Junior midfielder Abigail Roy assisted on both goals for her second and third assists in 2023.
A complete recap from the game is available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
UP NEXT: EAST COAST ROADTRIP
Purdue is on the road next weekend for a pair of Big Ten contests. The east coast swing begins at Maryland on Thursday, September 21, at 7 p.m. ET, and concludes at Rutgers on September 24.
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.
Admission is free for all fans to the contest and to each regular-season home game in 2023. Sunday is Senior Day, and Purdue's eight seniors will be recognized in a pregame ceremony, beginning at 12:40 p.m. As part of the annual Alumnae Reunion Weekend, alumnae will be honored on the field at halftime to cap a weekend that included Saturday night's football game and events with the soccer team on Saturday. As a reminder to all fans, a clear bag policy is in effect for all Purdue Athletics events once again in 2023.
The game will be broadcast live on B1G+, and live stats are available at PurdueStats.com. Updates also can be found by following and connecting with @PurdueSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links to follow along are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
The Boilermakers and Wildcats both enter conference play following a week off after a win on September 10. Purdue bested Western Kentucky at home to improve to 3-5-0 and Northwestern downed Virginia Tech on the road and is 6-0-2. No 18 NU is Purdue's fourth top-25 opponent in its opening nine games.
The Boilermakers have scored 15 goals with 18 assists for 48 points on 97 shots and 44 shots on target. Eight of Purdue's 15 goals have come from different players, and four of those are first career goals. The Old Gold and Black have allowed 14 goals on 79 shots, 39 on goal.
Individually, senior goalkeeper Charlotte Cyr also is third in the Big Ten with 699:32 minutes played and senior midfielder Emily Mathews ranks No. 4 in the conference with four assists. Sophomore forward Kayla Budish leads the team with eight points, and she and junior forward/midfielder Gracie Dunaway share the team lead of three goals and eight shots on goal. Dunaway also paces the squad with 20 shots and is second on the team with six points, along with junior forward Megan Hutchinson. Cyr has made 25 saves with a 1.80 goals-against average and a .641 save percentage.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern is 6-0-2 on the season and 3-0-1 away from home. NU last earned a 3-2 win at Virginia Tech on Sunday, which came after a 4-1 home triumph over Weber State. The Wildcats' two draws are to Kansas State, 0-0 on August 20, and at Vanderbilt, 3-3 on September 3.
Northwestern is ranked No. 18 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. The Wildcats also check in at No. 21 in the College Soccer News top-30.
Northwestern is ninth in the NCAA with 27 goals scored, and the Wildcats are 11th with 24 assists and 78 points. NU has registered 132 shots, 69 on goal, while allowing seven goals on 53 shots. Meg Boade is second nationally with eight assists and No. 20 with 17 points and Ella Hase leads the team with six goals and is tied for second with 14 points. In goal, Reiley Fitzpatrick has made 18 saves for a .720 save percentage and a 0.91 goals-against average with two shutouts.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WILDCATS
Purdue is 17-8-1 in the all-time series against Northwestern and 10-3-0 in West Lafayette. A year ago, the Boilermakers suffered a 3-0 loss to the 18th-ranked Wildcats to open Big Ten play on September 18. On a hot afternoon in Evanston, NU scored in the fifth minute and added goals in the 20th and 29th minutes. The home side had a 12-7 advantage in shots, though it was 6-4 in Purdue's favor in the second half.
LAST TIME OUT: NON-CONFERENCE-FINISHING WIN
A two-goal second half propelled Purdue to a 2-1 comeback victory over Western Kentucky on September 10. In the final non-conference game of the regular season, Hutchinson scored the game-winning goal in the 69th minute, after Budish started the rally with the tying goal in the 58th. The visitors took an early lead in the 10th minute but were held goalless for the final 80 minutes.
The Boilermakers had 14 shots, six on target, and the Hilltoppers had eight shots, five on goal. Both teams had a pair of corner kicks, one in each half, and Purdue had nine fouls to WKU's five. Mathews led the Boilermakers with three shots, while she and Budish each had two shots on goal. Cyr made four saves, as did her WKU counterpart.
Budish netted her team-high-tying third goal in 2023 and seventh of her career, as she is one goal shy of matching her total of four from her freshman campaign a year ago. Hutchinson came off the bench to score her second career goal, both coming this season, and she notched her first career game-winner. Junior midfielder Abigail Roy assisted on both goals for her second and third assists in 2023.
A complete recap from the game is available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
UP NEXT: EAST COAST ROADTRIP
Purdue is on the road next weekend for a pair of Big Ten contests. The east coast swing begins at Maryland on Thursday, September 21, at 7 p.m. ET, and concludes at Rutgers on September 24.
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.