Golden Boot trophy up for grabs against Purdue

Clinging to the sixth spot in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers have been busy all week preparing for their final conference game of the season when they face in-state rival Purdue Friday. The two teams will be playing for the Golden Boot, which is awarded to whoever wins. Purdue holds the series advantage 4-1 all time, but the Hoosiers are looking for their second straight bid to the Big Ten tournament after starting the season slow. Freshman midfielder Ali Brown said the team expects a tough game from Purdue.\n"We know that Purdue's a really fast team and they're really physical," Brown said. "They like to play the ball over the top and they've got really fast forwards. We're expecting a lot of long ball and not much on the ground."\nEntering this game, the Hoosiers currently hold an even record of 7-7-1 (4-4-1 Big Ten). With only eight spots for 11 teams, the Hoosiers stand a good chance of making the Big Ten tournament, but could solidify their spot even more with a win over Purdue. The Boilermakers come into the game with a record of 9-3-3 (5-2-2) and currently hold the third spot in the Big Ten rankings.\nPurdue's game relies heavily on the long ball, which is when a player from their defense or midfield fires a shot far up field in hopes of finding a forward with room to make a play. The Hoosiers hope to counter this by keeping the ball on the ground and in their possession. Senior defender Erin Hesselbach said the Hoosiers plan to win by playing their style of soccer.\n"We just need to play our game and keep the ball on the ground," Hesselbach said. "We need to keep the ball moving through our center people like Brown, (junior midfielder Kim) Grodek, and (senior midfielder Emily) Hotz."\nPurdue is led by the potent offensive duo of junior Lauren Sesselmann and senior Annette Kent. Both are tied for the team lead in points with 19 each, having scored seven goals and recorded five assists. Sesselmann has been especially effective since Big Ten play began, having totaled 14 points on six goals and two assists. IU coach Mick Lyon said Purdue is tough to play against because of its team's style and size.\n"Their style of play is a little different," Lyon said. "They look to launch it long, win head balls, chase things and get behind defenders to score a goal. It's a tough style to play against because they're big and strong and they use their personnel well."\nThe game is being held at Bill Armstrong Stadium at 5:30 p.m. Friday evening. To celebrate 10 years of IU women's soccer, all kids under the age of 10 get in free, and groups of 10 or more get in for only $1 per person.\n-- Contact staff writer Cory Steger at csteger@indiana.edu.