Women’s soccer team on collision course with Purdue

At the beginning of any Big Ten season, there must be some concern from the teams that the toughness of the conference will lead them to drop a few games to competitive opponents. In the middle of the storm that is Big Ten conference play, the IU women’s soccer team has opened the season hot, losing only one game and riding an 11-game unbeaten streak after a 1-0 victory over Michigan State on Sunday.\nThe team is 3-0-1 in conference play and well on its way to a high seeding in this year’s Big Ten tournament. But the level of competition in the Big Ten must be understood by the Hoosiers if they are to keep on winning.\nA rough schedule is ahead for IU as it takes on Minnesota, Penn State and Purdue in the next month – all teams in the top half of the Big Ten standings. Luckily for Hoosier fans, the team’s statistics will add some confidence to the possibility of continued victories.\nAfter Sunday’s victory over the Spartans, IU was ranked third or higher in all six major-team offensive statistics. Sophomores Kristin Arnold and Christie Kotynski are both in the Top 10 in the conference in points per game. The team’s defense is also improving, and freshman goalkeeper Lauren Hollandsworth completed her fourth shutout of the season on Sunday. According to IDS reports, IU coach Mick Lyon was quoted as saying that Hollandsworth is improving with every game. If their goalkeeper continues to produce such dominant performances, the Hoosiers will receive the defensive boost necessary to continue to compete and win in Big Ten play.\nAll of these statistics seem to place IU on a collision course with a team that is emerging as this season’s Big Ten powerhouse – the Purdue Boilermakers. The Boilermakers lead the conference in shots, points, assists and goals. But it seems that where the Boilermakers have really pulled ahead with an 11-1-2 record is defensively, as they have allowed only five goals this season. That Purdue is stellar in both offense and defense should make defensive improvement an area of focus for the Hoosiers, who rank in the middle of the pack in most defensive categories and last in the conference in saves. \nHowever, before IU can even consider the Nov. 2 match with Purdue, a tough Big Ten season awaits.