Indiana and Purdue face off in an intense clash, a historic rivalry as fierce as Batman vs. the Joker.
On Friday night, Indiana women's soccer had its own dark knight on the pitch, sophomore defender Haden Vlcek. The towering 6-foot-1 defender led a resilient back line while wearing a black mask, a fitting look for someone playing the hero in enemy territory in West Lafayette, Indiana.
In a match that carried more than just Big Ten implications, Indiana stepped onto Purdue’s pitch with one goal in mind - securing its first road win of the season.
“If you’re at IU, there’s one game that you have circled every year that’s pretty important, and so this is that one,” head coach Josh Rife said in a postgame conference Sept. 26. His words set the tone for what would be an gritty emotionally charged contest.
But in a game where emotions run high, composure becomes the difference-maker.
“We can have emotion, but we can’t become emotional,” Rife said. “We can’t let that start dictating our behavior or decision-making.”
As they have so often in Big Ten play, the Hoosiers opened the game by holding the Boilermakers scoreless. In the first half, Indiana allowed only two shot attempts, with one testing senior goalkeeper Dani Jacobson who tallied her lone save of the night.
On the offensive front, Indiana held steady possession, moving the ball across the field and involving all ten outfield players. Despite their composure and control, the Hoosiers struggled to break through Purdue’s disciplined defense, managing just three shots in the first half.
Sophomore defender Bella Haggerty and senior defender Abbey Iler each challenged Purdue’s junior goalkeeper Emily Edwards, but the Boilermakers held firm.
Indiana maintained steady possession to start the second half, but Purdue quickly turned up the pressure.
The Boilermakers fired off seven shots in the opening 20 minutes, forcing graduate goalkeeper Sally Rainey into action — including a sharp save on Purdue’s senior midfielder Margaux Chauvet’s low strike in the 58th minute.
Indiana countered with chances of their own, including a clean strike from freshman defender Grace Hamm in the 68th minute and a blocked effort from senior midfielder Natasha Kim off a corner in the 81st. The Hoosiers stayed aggressive but couldn’t find the finishing touch.
The match grew more physical late with a yellow card issued to Purdue’s sophomore defender Emilia Deppe in the 87th minute.
In the final two minutes of regulation, senior forward Marisa Grzesiak found space just outside Purdue’s 18-yard box after a touch forward and fired a shot toward goal — only to see it blocked in what became Indiana’s last chance of the night.
The game ended in a scoreless draw — Indiana’s sixth shutout of the season. Despite a strong defensive showing and a late push in the final minutes, the Hoosiers left West Lafayette with just a point. The search for a breakthrough away from home continues.
With five regular season games left, both teams missed a chance to climb the Big Ten standings. Sitting in 16th place in the Big Ten as the conference tournament approaches, the urgency grows — and the margin for error shrinks.
Indiana will host Northwestern next at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers hope to continue their home success and remain undefeated at the Bill.
Follow reporters Noah Gerkey (@Noah_Gerk and ngerkey@iu.edu) and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana women's soccer season.
