IU seeks win against No. 9 Purdue today

The Golden Boot will be on the line once again when IU plays No. 9 Purdue at 7:30 p.m. today on Jerry Yeagley Field.

The Boilermakers have had possession of the trophy since its debut in 2002.

Last time out against Purdue, IU got a late goal at the end of regulation from junior forward Jocelyn Moses to tie the game at 1-1.

The two teams were unable to put the game away, as it finished in a 1-1 tie after two overtimes.

“Our rivalry with Purdue is huge for us,” sophomore Carly Samp said. “The last couple games we have played have been very competitive. Going back to 2007, we lost to them in the regular season, but then we came back and beat them in a shootout in the NCAA Tournament.

“Then last year we tied them, so this year we are just looking to keep playing well and do whatever we can to come away with a win.”

Purdue is led by senior forward Jessica Okoroafo, who comes into the game with a team-leading 15 points. She is co-captain with senior goalkeeper Jenny Bradfisch, who was named co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week this past week.
Bradfisch holds the school record of 0.71 goals allowed average.

Recently, the Hoosiers were named No. 27 in the Ratings Performance Index.

A win could put them back among the top-25 teams in the nation.

The Boilermakers lead the all-time series with IU 9-1-3 and have not lost to the Hoosiers since their loss in the teams’ initial meeting in 1999.

“If we get a win, it puts us in a better position in the conference,” Samp said. “And our goal is to be at the top of the Big Ten; so in order to get there, we are going to have to beat the teams that are ahead of us now.”