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WOMEN’S SOCCER CONTINUES HOMESTAND WITH BOILERMAKER CHALLENGE CUP
WEST
LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue women’s soccer continues its eight-game
homestand with a four-team weekend tournament, welcoming Cal State
Northridge, Dayton and Kansas to the Varsity Soccer Complex for the
12th edition of the Boilermaker Challenge Cup.
Friday’s action
begins at 5 p.m. with Dayton (4-1) squaring off against Kansas (5-1).
Purdue (2-4) hosts Cal State Northridge (1-4) at 7:30 p.m. Friday’s
winners and losers will play Sunday, but Kansas is locked into the 11
a.m. opening game to accommodate a return flight departure time.
In
the event of a draw Friday, Purdue head coach Robert Klatte said an
exhibition penalty kick shootout would be contested to determine which
team was considered the winner. The match would still count as a draw
on both teams’ season records.
Purdue has won six of the
previous 11 editions of the Boilermaker Challenge, including three of
the first four from 1999-2002 as well as back-to-back titles in 2008
and 2009. The Boilermakers have posted a 16-4-2 all-time record at the
four-team event. The tournament went on a one-year hiatus last fall as
Purdue chose to participate in tournaments hosted by Cal State
Fullerton and Colorado.
Co-captains Alexis Tryba and Kellie
Phillips are the active Purdue players that have scored goals in a
Boilermaker Challenge game. Tryba scored twice in a 2009 win against
Ball State and Phillips recorded a goal versus Morehead State as a
freshman in 2008.
Purdue played well during the opening weekend
of its current homestand, finishing as the runner-up to USC at the Big
Ten-Pac-12 challenge dubbed the Illini/Boilermaker Cup. After topping
Colorado Friday on Alex Hairston’s second game-winner of the season,
the Boilers lost to USC in overtime Sunday in a game they led at
halftime. Purdue finished with an even goal differential, scoring two
and allowing two, which was better than Illinois’ minus-one mark.
The
Boilermakers have managed to score only five goals in their first six
games. Thankfully, Hairston’s two goals have proved to be the
difference in a pair of 1-0 wins. She’s believed to be only the third
freshman – joining Tryba (2008) and Jessica Okoroafo (2005) – in
program history to account for the first two game-winning goals of a
season.
Dayton and Kansas were both receiving votes in
this week’s NSCAA Top 25 poll. The Flyers are ranked second in the
Mid-Atlantic Region and the Jayhawks are third in the Central Region.
Both teams have scored a goal in every game this year.
Cal State
Northridge, the lone first-time opponent on the Boilers’ regular-season
schedule, posted its first victory Sunday with a 3-1 home win against
Princeton. The Matadors, who were picked third in the Big West
preseason poll, have surrendered a goal in each of their first five
games this year.
Northridge has not shied away from playing a
challenging nonconference schedule, hosting nationally-ranked UCLA for
its home opener and traveling to the Lone Star State for games at Texas
and Baylor. The Matadors were competitive in their losses to UCLA
(2-0), Baylor (1-0) and New Mexico (1-0).
Northridge lost its
top three goal scorers from 2010, but welcomed backed starting
goalkeeper Cynthia Jacobo. Heidi Farran stepped up in the win against
Princeton, scoring the first two goals of the game.
Dayton’s 4-0
start was highlighted by winning Northwestern’s four-team tournament
the weekend of Aug. 26-28. The Flyers lost at home to Wisconsin, 3-1,
in their lone game last weekend. The Badgers were the first team to
prevent UD from scoring multiple goals in a game.
Having
compiled a 26-3-2 record in Atlantic 10 Conference play the last three
seasons, Dayton was a natural pick as the preseason favorite by the
league coaches. The Flyers have won the A-10 Tournament and a first
round NCAA Tournament game each of the last two seasons. Last year,
they took Ohio State to a shootout in the second round of the NCAAs.
Colleen
Williams, who was selected to the Hermann Trophy preseason watch list,
headlines Dayton’s returning players. With four goals and four assists,
she has played a role in eight of UD’s 16 goals entering the weekend.
Juliana Libertin has also stepped up early in her sophomore season,
tallying three goals and three assists.
Kansas has won five
straight since losing its season opener to Tennessee in overtime. The
Jayhawks have defeated USC and nationally-ranked San Diego during their
current win streak. While scoring 15 times in their first six games, KU
has also surrendered at least one goal in every game it has played thus
far.
Freshmen Ingrid Vidal, a native of Columbia, and Jamie
Fletcher have made an immediate impact for the Jayhawks. Both newcomers
have scored four goals, Vidal scoring twice in a little over four
minutes late in the game against San Diego to lift KU to a
come-from-behind victory. Returnees Whitney Berry (seven assists) and
Caroline Kastor (four) have setup a number of their new teammates’
goals.
Following the busy weekend at the Varsity Soccer Complex,
Purdue concludes the nonconference portion of its schedule Wednesday
with a night game against in-state rival Indiana State. Big Ten play
kicks off Sunday, Sept. 18 with a visit from Michigan State.
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