Sept. 29, 2010

Game 13 Notes

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's soccer team returns to action on Friday when it travels to Champaign, Ill., to face the twenty-first ranked Illinois Fighting Illini. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. ET from the Illinois Soccer and Track Stadium.

Purdue (5-5-2, 1-0-1) is coming off a 1-0 win over the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday. The game was back and forth all afternoon until the Boilermakers were finally able to break free with a goal in the 84th minute by Jessica Warren.

The play started near midfield after Northwestern was called for a foul. Liz Secue took the free kick and passed the ball to the Brookley Rogers in the center circle. Rogers then lobbed the ball into the penalty box where the Wildcats were able to clear it out to the right side. Secue regained possession and found an opening from 12 yards on the right side of the box. Her shot caromed off the crossbar and to the left of the goal. Katie Leinert was able to get a foot on the ball and flip it up to Hadley Stuart at the left post. Stuart was only able to head the ball straight down at the top of the six yard box. Warren then came charging in and ripped a shot over diving Northwestern defenders into the net for the eventual game winning goal. The goal was her first of the season and the fourth of her career.

Illinois (7-2-0, 0-1) is coming off a conference opening 1-0 loss at eighteenth ranked Minnesota. Despite the loss, the Fighting Illini have been playing very well all season including a 3-0 win against the twenty-third ranked Louisville Cardinals. Illinois' only other loss on the season was a double overtime defeat by the Connecticut Huskies.

Vanessa DiBernardo leads the Fighting Illini with 11 points on five goals and an assists. Two of her goals have been game winning tallies. Illinois' defense is backed by Alexandra Kapicka who has recorded three shutouts on the season.

The Boilermakers' defense has been stout as of late. Over the weekend, Carianne Betts was named the Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Week after recording shutouts against Wisconsin and Northwestern. The Parma, Ohio, native made seven saves over the weekend and leads the league in total shots stopped with 47.

Rogers, Secue, and Warren have also turned in solid performances on the back end. Each has stepped up and locked down some of the premier players in the league including Wisconsin's Laurie Nosbusch and Northwestern's Kate Allen. Both players have been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week this season.

Secue and Warren have also added a bit of offense to Purdue's attack. Secue has scored her first two career goals including a game-winner. Warren has one goal, a game-winner, which she scored against Northwestern.

Purdue has faced Illinois 15 times on the pitch. The Fighting Illini lead the all-time series 8-5-2. Purdue has won three of the last four meetings between the two schools including a 1-0 win last season thanks to a goal by Roya Akhavain. Despite the recent success, Purdue has never won in Champaign.

The Boilermakers and Illini kick off Friday at 8 p.m. ET at the Illinois Soccer and Track Stadium. Live results of the game can be found at purduesports.com. The game will also air live on the Big Ten Network.