WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue enters the beginning of Big Ten play with an undefeated 6-0-1 record for the first time since 2000.
The Boilers will head out west to take on the Bruins of UCLA and the Trojans of USC this week to open the Big Ten conference slate. In the recent United Soccer Coaches poll, the Bruins came out ranked as the No. 16 team in the country.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
The Bruins are off to a balanced start to the season, with a 3-2-1 record. UCLA picked up a big result against No. 3 Duke in a 1-1 draw on Aug. 16. The Bruins went on to defeat Santa Clara and Pepperdine, while falling to Stanford.
USC is off to a tough start in 2026, with a 1-3-2 record in non-conference. The Trojans did not get the same result with Duke, falling 3-1. The Trojans also took the loss to No. 9 BYU, while earning its lone win against New Mexico State in a 4-0 shutout.
SERIES HISTORY
Purdue and UCLA have only faced one another once in their histories, dating back to 2024 where the Bruins took the 2-0 victory in West Lafayette. This will be the first time in program history that the Boilers will play at UCLA.
Purdue and USC have faced one another five times in their histories with the Trojans leading the series 4-1. The last matchup was in 2024 in West Lafayette, where Purdue fell 1-0 to the No. 25 ranked Trojans. The Trojans have been ranked in three of the five matchups, and the Boilers took the upset victory over the No. 15 team back in 2015.
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