Hoosiers add 2 more Big Ten honors to list

One scores goals. The other stops them.

Together, midfielder Alec Purdie and goalkeeper Luis Soffner have combined forces to bring the Hoosiers — a team that was 5-3 this time last year, a team that in the offseason lost its leading goal scorer to MLS — to No. 7 ranking without dropping a match.

The last time the Hoosiers started eight games without a loss, they ended up in the finals of the 1997 national championship game, losing 1-0 to UCLA in triple overtime.
It’s been seven years since the last ring, and members of this team have said multiple times this year they are in search of the eighth.

They took a step toward that with the Penn State win Friday.

Both Purdie and Soffner were honored as Big Ten Players of the Week on Monday for their efforts in that game.

Purdie earned his second Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors after he netted the only goal of IU’s victory against No. 16 Penn State. The senior leads the team with five goals.

The goalkeeper said he was happy with the performance of his teammate.

“Alec’s scored some pretty clutch goals for us so far,” Soffner said. “He’s obviously done a majority of our scoring for us this year but that Friday night goal was incredible. ... The defense is happy, especially me, that he stepped up and kind of took charge.”

Soffner also earned his second Big Ten Player of the Week honors. His net has been untouchable in the last three games. He’s made 33 saves on the season and the Penn State victory recorded his fourth season shutout.

“Luis has come so far within this past year,” Purdie said. “He’s improved in so many aspects of the game — communication, leadership, everything back there. He’s been solid for us, so it’s no surprise that he won another. Right now he’s just confident and he’s going to keep building on that, too.”

The team has now totaled six Big Ten Player of the Week honors in four weeks: Soffner (Aug. 29), Eric Zavaleta (Sept. 5), Purdie (Sept. 12), Tommy Meyer (Sept. 19) and now Purdie and Soffner again.

No other Big Ten soccer program has more than two Player of the Week honors, with Penn State, Northwestern and Ohio State all tied at two. Wisconsin has had one award.

Soffner said he thinks Indiana compiling these honors shows the rest of the Big Ten that Indiana soccer is looking for one thing: wins.

“We don’t want to put the awards over team results, but I think maybe other teams are starting to see,” Soffner said.

“It might give (other Big Ten teams) a little something that, ‘Yeah, Indiana is playing really well and they’re playing really well as a team.’ ... The recognition is obviously there and it’s nice to see, but I think our overall record is the thing that’s really going to speak the loudest.”

Six wins. No losses. Two ties — both to ranked opponents.

It speaks of an Indiana soccer squad that Soffner said is enjoying all the hype.

“It feels incredible,” Soffner said. “That crowd that we had on Friday night is probably one of the biggest crowds we’ve had since I’ve been here and probably one of the most rowdy. We love having all the fan support now with the Hoosier Army. ... We’re going to keep up the success. It feels really good that Indiana soccer is starting to be recognized around campus.”

Soffner earned his fourth shutout of the season against Penn State. The article formerly said Northwestern. The IDS regrets this error.