The road proved to be a difficult place to be as week one in women’s soccer Big Ten play got underway this past weekend. With the exception of conference powerhouses Penn State, Michigan St, and Michigan, who went 2-0 away from home, no other road team was able to accomplish that feat.
No. 13 Penn St
The offensive machine continued to roll as the Nittany Lions put up 3-1 and 4-2 victories over the weekend.
M.A.C. player of the year Christi Welsh did her part, leading the way with 4 points, and teammates Heidi Drummond and Ashleigh Garmon chipped in with key goals of their own to defeat Northwestern.
The Nittany Lions return to the friendly confines of Happy Valley Friday night to welcome Indiana into to town.
Illinois
Two home losses to both Michigan squads put the Illini in a critical position as week 2 approaches. To call it a must-win is still too early, but if they are going to tally up their first conference win of the year they will need forward Tara Hurless to continue her stellar play.
Leading the team by a wide margin with 13 points and 26 shots, she has been the one offensive weapon this team has relied on.
The Illini will need more offensive production from other forwards like Tiffany Walker if they are going to succeed.
No. 20 Purdue
Led by goalkeeper Jocelyn Cavalier, the Boilermakers put together back-to-back 1-0 shutouts.
Following her strong performance over the weekend, Cavalier was named co-defensive player of the week.
Offensively, the Boilermakers received most of their production from forward Annette Kent, who was responsible for the scores of the weekend with a goal and an assist.
Purdue will head to Penn State and Ohio State in weekend match-ups that will feature undefeated teams.
No. 14 Michigan
The Wolverines came out strong dominating play on the road with 2-1 and 4-1 victories over rivals Iowa and Illinois. The Wolverines, who are 7-1 overall, have been led by forwards Abby Crumpton and Theresa Heaton, with 11 and 9 points respectively.
On the defensive side of the ball, goalkeeper Susie Grech has been difficult to beat. She has already accumulated 2 shutouts and has kept her goals against per game average at a miniscule .083.
After six straight games in Ann Arbor the Wolverines head to Wisconsin and Minnesota for week two action.
Michigan St.
The defensive side of the field has been the strength of the Spartans. Goalkeeper Stacey Heller shared defensive player of the week honors, with Purdue goalie Jocelyn Cavalier after she posted shutouts against Iowa and Illinois in the first week.
Offensively, the Spartans took care of business with goals from four different players in their 4-0 tour of Iowa.
They have now compiled a remarkable six shutouts in their six wins.
They hope to continue the great play this weekend on the road with contests at Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Wisconsin
The Badgers return to Madison with a 0-1-1 record in conference play.
Leading the offensive charge has been forwards Sarah Capel and Jenny Kundert. Both players are tied for the team’s lead in points with eight each.
Anchoring the defense is team co-captain and goalkeeper Kelley Conway. Last Tuesday in Marquette, she became the all-time Wisconsin saves leader. The Badgers hope to play two competitive games this weekend against two of the top teams in the conference.
Indiana
The Hoosiers opened their conference opener in a torrential downpour but managed to sneak away with a 2-2 tie in a hard fought game at home over Wisconsin.
Leading the offense, Kim Grodek and Kristen Sprunger each tallied goals.
Kate Kastl provided the scoring on Sunday as the Hoosiers picked up their first Big Ten win of the season at home against Minnesota.
The team will need its top playmaker Shelly Gruszka to put points on the board if they are to be successful this season. Gruszka leads the team with 10 points.
The Hoosiers will face nationally ranked Penn State in Happy Valley before heading to Columbus, Ohio, to face the Ohio State Buckeyes to conclude their week two schedule.
Northwestern
The Wildcats continued their early season struggles with convincing defeats at the hands of Ohio St. and Penn St.
The one bright spot came from forward Ashleigh Garmon who scored her team-leading fourth goal in Friday’s matchup against the Nittany Lions. Her production will need to continue and the defense will need to improve in hurry if they are to snap their three game losing streak in Iowa.
Ohio State
The excitement of a 2-1 victory over Northwestern was icing of the cake for star forward Lindsay Eckles. Eckles had three shots in the game and passed former Buckeye Lisa Sutmiller for the all-time shots record with 207. In a stellar four-year career, Eckles has put up some impressive numbers and will look to add to the record as Big Ten play continues.
The Buckeyes will host Purdue Friday and Indiana Sunday.
Iowa
The Hawkeye’s look to rebound after two mediocre performances with a home game Friday against Northwestern.
Katelyn Quinn leads the team with four goals and an assist. She is tied for second in the conference in shots with 29. The Hawkeye’s will look to improve in all facets of the game.
Offensive forwards Sarah Lynch and Courtney Wilkerson, who are tied for second on the team with seven points, will need to continue putting goals in the net if the team is to turn around its play this weekend.
The Hawkeye’s play only one conference game this weekend and then head to Illinois State for a match Sunday.
Minnesota
The Gophers five-game winning streak came to an end with two straight 1-0 shutouts by Purdue and Indiana.
Missed opportunities were the story of the weekend as the Gophers out-shot their opponents by a combined total of 18-15.
Star forward Rachael Roth was held without a point in both games, marking the first time that has happened all year. The Gophers will look to her to begin a new point streak as they host conference leaders Michigan and Michigan State this weekend.
