IU meets familiar foe at Big Ten tourney

Before the season began, the IU women's soccer team decided that their most important goal was to make the post-season tournments. Not one player on the current squad had ever appeared in the Big Ten tournament, and the team was set on changing that. \nThe Hoosiers are going to the post-season for the first time since 1998, and waiting for them is first round opponent, rival Purdue. The Boilermakers enter as the third seed, with a 12-4-2 (6-3-1, Big Ten) record, while IU, the sixth seed, owns a 10-6-2 (4-4-2, Big Ten) record.\nThe two teams will battle this afternoon in East Lansing, Mich.\nThe Hoosiers said battling Purdue in the opening game is a good opponent for them.\nSenior forward Kristen Sprunger said playing a school rival helps motivate the team.\n"Playing Purdue is something for all of us to get excited about," Sprunger said. "We feel we should have beat them last time, and now we get another chance."\nThe Hoosiers and Boilermakers played a grueling game Oct. 25 in West Lafayette. Purdue won that game 1-0, when sophomore forward Lauren Sesselmann scored the game's lone goal, with just under three minutes left in the game. IU dominated most of the game's tempo that day, but suffered a crushing defeat. The Hoosiers now have revenge on their minds, and said they match up well with the Boilermakers.\nJunior goalkeeper Shaunna Daugherty said the team was really excited when they found out they were playing Purdue, and thinks IU can knock off their nemesis.\n"The stakes are much higher this time," Daugherty said. "We played them recently, and they are fresh in our minds. It was painful last time, and we are happy for a second shot."\nIU has not been to the Big Ten tournament in four years, and all of the upper-classmen were suffering for several years to get to the post-season this year.\nFreshmen forwards Robin Barker and Kristen Zmijewski were not expected to contribute much this year, but were two of the team's most valuable players. Although they have never played in a game this big on the collegiate level, they said they are ready for today's showdown.\n"This is extremely exciting," Zmijewski said. "Making it this year rewards all of the hard work we did, and gives us a goal for next year."\nBarker said she is also ready for the challenges the Boilermakers will provide, and said practice this week has been more grueling than during the regular season.\n"Practice has been harder. We have been working on the little things to make sure we play well against Purdue," Barker said. "Last time, the game could have gone either way, but we believe that we can beat them in the tournament."\nDaugherty said the Hoosiers need to capitalize on their chances, and finish opportunities to be successful against Purdue. She said the team has had many chances this season, but often can't register their shots into goals.\n"We need to put the ball into the back of the net against Purdue," Daugherty said. "We are playing really well right now; we just need to finish our chances."\nThe winner of the IU-Purdue game will battle the winner of the Michigan-Ohio State game, which kicks-off immediately after the two Indiana schools. The tournament is single elimination, so IU needs a win to keep their season intact. A victory over No. 17 Purdue can help land an NCAA bid if the Hoosiers fail to win an automatic bid by winning the Big Ten Championships.\nSprunger said this could be the last game of her soccer career at IU, which she hopes to avoid. "I want to prolong my career here for as long as I possibly can," Sprunger said. "I cherish each game that we have to play, and hope that this is not my last time out there"