LINCOLN, Neb. – The Purdue soccer team suffered a 2-0 loss at No. 25 Nebraska on Thursday night at Hibner Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.
On a clear and relatively warm mid-October evening, the Huskers took a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute and made it 2-0 in the 81st. The Boilermakers earned several good chances throughout the match, including a shot that went off the crossbar in the 25th minute and a pair of corner kicks just before NU's second goal, but the visitors could not find the back of the net.
Purdue faced its sixth top-25 foe of the season, and Nebraska is the 11th opponent that is or has been nationally ranked for at least one week during the 2023 campaign. NU, which is tied for second place in the Big Ten with one game remaining, extended its win streak to five.
The Boilermakers (3-12-2, 0-7-2 Big Ten) had 12 shots, three on goal, and the Huskers (12-2-3, 6-1-2 Big Ten) had 19 shots and 10 shots on target. NU held a 7-6 advantage in corner kicks and Purdue was called for 15 fouls to Nebraska's 13.
Three Boilermakers had two shots in the contest, including sophomore forward Kayla Budish and freshman defender Zoe Cuneio whose two shots included one on goal. Senior goalkeeper Charlotte Cyr recorded eight saves and her NU counterpart made three.
Cyr made her first two saves in the opening eight minutes before the Huskers took a 1-0 lead at 12:08. Eleanor Dale scored, assisted by Gwen Lane and Sadie Waite.
Budish set up a pair of Boilermaker chances with crosses in from the right side. The first, in the 18th minute, was to sophomore forward Brooke Haarala, and her shot went just wide. The second, two minutes later, was to freshman forward Lauren Omholt, and her shot was saved.
Meanwhile, Cyr's third save of the day came in the 20th minute, less than 30 seconds before Omholt's chance, and her fourth save was in the 22nd minute.
Senior midfielder Nicole Kevdzija almost tied the game in the 25th minute. With a strike from the top of the penalty area, her shot ricocheted off the crossbar. The ball bounced down but did not cross the goal line and NU was able to clear it before an attempt could be made on the rebound.
Another nice save by Cyr came 30 seconds later. The Huskers had a chance to add to their lead in the 31st minute with a free kick that was awarded at the edge of the six-yard box. However, with all eleven Boilermakers on the goal line, NU's shot was blocked and cleared away.
In the final five-plus minutes, senior forward Zoie Allen and sophomore forward Naomi Splittorff each notched shots that were off target, and Cyr added another save.
Purdue was out-shot 9-6 in the first half, and the Huskers held a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal.
The home side opened the second half with four shots in the opening 11 minutes, but the defense didn't allow any to be on goal.
Budish registered a pair of chances in the 56th and 58th minutes, with the first going wide and the second going on target but was saved.
Cyr notched her eighth save of the night in the 61st minute to keep it a one-goal game. Seven minutes later, the defense again came up with a blocked shot and did not allow another NU shot before Cyr grabbed a cross into the six to end Nebraska's chances in the final third.
The eighth save for Cyr came in the 72nd minute on a long ball from 30 yards away.
The Boilermakers created opportunities in the 80th minute thanks to a pair of corner kicks. The first corner in from Budish resulted in a header by Cuneio that was just tipped out and over the crossbar by the Husker keeper for another corner.
Following that second corner kick, NU had a breakaway and converted to extend its lead to 2-0. At 80:37, Sadie Waite scored from Florence Belzile.
The visitor's final chance was a shot blocked by Mathews in the 86th minute.
Nebraska had 10 shots, three on goal, in the final 45 minutes, and the Boilermakers notched six shots, two on target.
Purdue returns home to play its final game of the season on Sunday, October 22, against Minnesota. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET at Folk Field, and admission is free for all fans to the contest.
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 clear and relatively warm mid-October evening, the Huskers took a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute and made it 2-0 in the 81st. The Boilermakers earned several good chances throughout the match, including a shot that went off the crossbar in the 25th minute and a pair of corner kicks just before NU's second goal, but the visitors could not find the back of the net.
Purdue faced its sixth top-25 foe of the season, and Nebraska is the 11th opponent that is or has been nationally ranked for at least one week during the 2023 campaign. NU, which is tied for second place in the Big Ten with one game remaining, extended its win streak to five.
The Boilermakers (3-12-2, 0-7-2 Big Ten) had 12 shots, three on goal, and the Huskers (12-2-3, 6-1-2 Big Ten) had 19 shots and 10 shots on target. NU held a 7-6 advantage in corner kicks and Purdue was called for 15 fouls to Nebraska's 13.
Three Boilermakers had two shots in the contest, including sophomore forward Kayla Budish and freshman defender Zoe Cuneio whose two shots included one on goal. Senior goalkeeper Charlotte Cyr recorded eight saves and her NU counterpart made three.
Cyr made her first two saves in the opening eight minutes before the Huskers took a 1-0 lead at 12:08. Eleanor Dale scored, assisted by Gwen Lane and Sadie Waite.
Budish set up a pair of Boilermaker chances with crosses in from the right side. The first, in the 18th minute, was to sophomore forward Brooke Haarala, and her shot went just wide. The second, two minutes later, was to freshman forward Lauren Omholt, and her shot was saved.
Meanwhile, Cyr's third save of the day came in the 20th minute, less than 30 seconds before Omholt's chance, and her fourth save was in the 22nd minute.
Senior midfielder Nicole Kevdzija almost tied the game in the 25th minute. With a strike from the top of the penalty area, her shot ricocheted off the crossbar. The ball bounced down but did not cross the goal line and NU was able to clear it before an attempt could be made on the rebound.
Another nice save by Cyr came 30 seconds later. The Huskers had a chance to add to their lead in the 31st minute with a free kick that was awarded at the edge of the six-yard box. However, with all eleven Boilermakers on the goal line, NU's shot was blocked and cleared away.
In the final five-plus minutes, senior forward Zoie Allen and sophomore forward Naomi Splittorff each notched shots that were off target, and Cyr added another save.
Purdue was out-shot 9-6 in the first half, and the Huskers held a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal.
The home side opened the second half with four shots in the opening 11 minutes, but the defense didn't allow any to be on goal.
Budish registered a pair of chances in the 56th and 58th minutes, with the first going wide and the second going on target but was saved.
Cyr notched her eighth save of the night in the 61st minute to keep it a one-goal game. Seven minutes later, the defense again came up with a blocked shot and did not allow another NU shot before Cyr grabbed a cross into the six to end Nebraska's chances in the final third.
The eighth save for Cyr came in the 72nd minute on a long ball from 30 yards away.
The Boilermakers created opportunities in the 80th minute thanks to a pair of corner kicks. The first corner in from Budish resulted in a header by Cuneio that was just tipped out and over the crossbar by the Husker keeper for another corner.
Following that second corner kick, NU had a breakaway and converted to extend its lead to 2-0. At 80:37, Sadie Waite scored from Florence Belzile.
The visitor's final chance was a shot blocked by Mathews in the 86th minute.
Nebraska had 10 shots, three on goal, in the final 45 minutes, and the Boilermakers notched six shots, two on target.
Purdue returns home to play its final game of the season on Sunday, October 22, against Minnesota. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET at Folk Field, and admission is free for all fans to the contest.
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.