WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue soccer team concludes the 2023 season at home with a matchup against Minnesota at Folk Field on Sunday, October 22, at 1 p.m. ET.
Admission is free for all fans to the contest. Sunday is First Responder Appreciation Day, where first responders will be honored for their dedication to protecting our communities. There will be a scarf giveaway to the first 300 fans, and the Boilermaker seniors and sophomores will sign autographs postgame. 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 streamed 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.
Going into the final game of the season, Purdue is 3-12-2 overall, 0-7-2 in the Big Ten and 3-6-1 at Folk Field. The Boilermakers have played six top-25 opponents this year, another three past foes are currently ranked and two more have spent time ranked nationally this season. In total, 11 of the team's 18 opponents are or have been in the top-25 for at least one week during the 2023 campaign.
The Boilermakers have scored 17 goals with 20 assists for 54 points on 188 shots and 73 shots on target. Nine of Purdue's 17 goals have come from different players, and five of those are first career goals. The Old Gold and Black have given up 27 goals on 211 shots, 105 on goal. The defense has allowed two or fewer goals in all but three games for a 1.59 goals-against average.
Junior forward Gracie Dunaway and sophomore forward Kayla Budish each have scored a team-high-tying three goals, and another four Boilermakers have two goals. Budish has eight points and senior midfielder Emily Mathews has seven. Mathews has a squad-best 32 shots and freshman forward Lauren Omholt boasts a team-best 15 shots on goal. Mathews has five assists to pace the team. In goal, senior Charlotte Cyr has made 70 saves for a .729 save percentage and a 1.69 goals-against average in nearly 1,400 minutes.
In the record books, Mathews' 21 career assists are fourth-most in program history and the most since Maddy Williams had a record 26 assists from 2013-17. With an assist on Sunday, she passed Kellie Phillips, who had 20 from 2008-11. Next on the list is 2023 Purdue Athletics Hall of Famer Lauren Sesselmann's 22 from 2001-05.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Minnesota boasts a 6-6-4 record and a 2-5-2 mark in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers are 1-3-4 in road games after a 3-0 loss at Northwestern on Thursday night. In that contest, NU took a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute and made it 2-0 four seconds before halftime. A final goal was scored with 93 seconds remaining. The loss was UM's second in a row after a three-game unbeaten streak.
Statistically, the Gophers have scored 23 goals with 22 assists for 68 points. They have 243 shots, 96 on goal. UM has allowed 15 goals on 131 shots. Three players have scored five goals, including Sophia Boman, who also has five assists and 15 points, both team-best totals. Megan Plaschko has started all 16 games and has made 44 saves for a .746 save percentage and a 0.95 goals-against average.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
Purdue is 9-16-0 in the all-time series against Minnesota and 5-7-0 in West Lafayette. The two teams have squared off every year since the Boilermakers' inaugural 1998 campaign except for 2019. The Gophers came away with a 2-0 win in St. Paul last season after the Boilermakers picked up a dramatic 3-2 win at Folk Field in 2021.
On October 20, 2022, Purdue concluded its road slate, and a three-game roadtrip, with a 2-0 loss. Goals were scored in the eighth and 22nd minutes. In the latest matchup at Folk Field, on October 10, 2021, Purdue erased a 2-0 halftime deficit to earn a 3-2 win. Mathews, a sophomore at the time, scored in the 64th minute to make it a 2-1 game, and an own goal tied it in the 71st minute. The game-winning goal was scored by then-senior Sarah Griffith in the 85th minute to complete the comeback.
LAST TIME OUT: TOP-25 ROAD LOSS
The Boilermakers suffered a 2-0 loss at No. 25 Nebraska on Thursday night. 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.
The Boilermakers had 12 shots, three on goal, and the Huskers 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 Budish and freshman defender Zoe Cuneio whose two shots included one on goal. Cyr recorded eight saves and her NU counterpart made three.
A complete recap from the game is available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
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. Sunday is First Responder Appreciation Day, where first responders will be honored for their dedication to protecting our communities. There will be a scarf giveaway to the first 300 fans, and the Boilermaker seniors and sophomores will sign autographs postgame. 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 streamed 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.
Going into the final game of the season, Purdue is 3-12-2 overall, 0-7-2 in the Big Ten and 3-6-1 at Folk Field. The Boilermakers have played six top-25 opponents this year, another three past foes are currently ranked and two more have spent time ranked nationally this season. In total, 11 of the team's 18 opponents are or have been in the top-25 for at least one week during the 2023 campaign.
The Boilermakers have scored 17 goals with 20 assists for 54 points on 188 shots and 73 shots on target. Nine of Purdue's 17 goals have come from different players, and five of those are first career goals. The Old Gold and Black have given up 27 goals on 211 shots, 105 on goal. The defense has allowed two or fewer goals in all but three games for a 1.59 goals-against average.
Junior forward Gracie Dunaway and sophomore forward Kayla Budish each have scored a team-high-tying three goals, and another four Boilermakers have two goals. Budish has eight points and senior midfielder Emily Mathews has seven. Mathews has a squad-best 32 shots and freshman forward Lauren Omholt boasts a team-best 15 shots on goal. Mathews has five assists to pace the team. In goal, senior Charlotte Cyr has made 70 saves for a .729 save percentage and a 1.69 goals-against average in nearly 1,400 minutes.
In the record books, Mathews' 21 career assists are fourth-most in program history and the most since Maddy Williams had a record 26 assists from 2013-17. With an assist on Sunday, she passed Kellie Phillips, who had 20 from 2008-11. Next on the list is 2023 Purdue Athletics Hall of Famer Lauren Sesselmann's 22 from 2001-05.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Minnesota boasts a 6-6-4 record and a 2-5-2 mark in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers are 1-3-4 in road games after a 3-0 loss at Northwestern on Thursday night. In that contest, NU took a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute and made it 2-0 four seconds before halftime. A final goal was scored with 93 seconds remaining. The loss was UM's second in a row after a three-game unbeaten streak.
Statistically, the Gophers have scored 23 goals with 22 assists for 68 points. They have 243 shots, 96 on goal. UM has allowed 15 goals on 131 shots. Three players have scored five goals, including Sophia Boman, who also has five assists and 15 points, both team-best totals. Megan Plaschko has started all 16 games and has made 44 saves for a .746 save percentage and a 0.95 goals-against average.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
Purdue is 9-16-0 in the all-time series against Minnesota and 5-7-0 in West Lafayette. The two teams have squared off every year since the Boilermakers' inaugural 1998 campaign except for 2019. The Gophers came away with a 2-0 win in St. Paul last season after the Boilermakers picked up a dramatic 3-2 win at Folk Field in 2021.
On October 20, 2022, Purdue concluded its road slate, and a three-game roadtrip, with a 2-0 loss. Goals were scored in the eighth and 22nd minutes. In the latest matchup at Folk Field, on October 10, 2021, Purdue erased a 2-0 halftime deficit to earn a 3-2 win. Mathews, a sophomore at the time, scored in the 64th minute to make it a 2-1 game, and an own goal tied it in the 71st minute. The game-winning goal was scored by then-senior Sarah Griffith in the 85th minute to complete the comeback.
LAST TIME OUT: TOP-25 ROAD LOSS
The Boilermakers suffered a 2-0 loss at No. 25 Nebraska on Thursday night. 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.
The Boilermakers had 12 shots, three on goal, and the Huskers 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 Budish and freshman defender Zoe Cuneio whose two shots included one on goal. Cyr recorded eight saves and her NU counterpart made three.
A complete recap from the game is available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
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.