LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Purdue scored twice in a 78-second span in the second half to secure a 2–0 victory over USC and take home its first Big Ten victory of the season.
The Boilermakers (7-1-1, 1-1-0 Big Ten) and Trojans (1-5-2, 0-2-0) played to a scoreless draw through the opening 45 minutes before Purdue broke through late in the second half.
Jaiden Anderson and Rosa Maalouf found the back of the net less than two minutes apart, while Krystina Wolf made four saves to record her seventh win of the season and preserve the shutout.
USC came out aggressively to begin the second half, forcing Wolf into consecutive saves in the 51st minute on back-to-back attempts. The tide shifted when USC was reduced to 10 players after Edra Bello received a red card for unsporting behavior in the 65th minute.
The Boilermakers' breakthrough came in the 77th minute. Feldman played a ball to Anderson, who finished at the 76:43 mark for her eighth goal of the season and gave Purdue a 1–0 advantage.
Just 78 seconds later, the Boilermakers doubled their lead. Cherry Yu assisted Maalouf, who found the net at 78:01 for her sixth goal of the season.
Purdue's defense kept the Trojans off the scoreboard over the final 11 minutes.
This is Purdue's first victory over the Trojans since 2022.
The Boilers will head to Piscataway to take on Rutgers next Sunday, Sept. 20.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers at @PurdueSoccer on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook.