Boilers and Hoosiers both walk away with a point

Purdue soccer (6-6-2, 2-4-1 Big Ten) drew Indiana (6-5-3, 2-3-3) Thursday night, awarding each team a hard fought point as they near the end of the regular season, and perhaps toward a Big Ten or NCAA Tournament.

Like many of Purdue’s games this year, it was a battle of possession. Both midfields and defenses worked incredibly hard to stop attacks, and both sides continuously traded counter-attacks.

Both teams managed minimal chances. The Boilers had only one shot on goal in four total tries, compared to Indiana’s two shots on seven total.

“Tough game, both teams played well, it meant a lot to both teams. Penalty calls could have been the decider but we’ll take the one point on the road and move on,” coach Richard Moodie said post-game.

“Emily Edwards played fantastic again, and she is only as good as she is because of the goalies behind her pushing her at practice. Indiana is a good team, they put a lot of pressure on us during long throw-ins and corners. To come and get a point on the road is something to be proud of.”

Here are three takeaways from Purdue’s 0-0 draw at Indiana:

Scoring train stalled out

Coach Moodie referred to Thursday night’s matchup in Bloomington as a “non-rivalry game”, possibly in hopes to calm nerves before what was by its definition a rivalry game, or because Purdue soccer’s record against Indiana all-time prior to Thursday was 18-5-7.

Either way, fans were treated to another Purdue soccer game with no goals scored, few chances on target, and this time only a single corner kick.

Thursday night’s goalless game was Purdue’s fourth time shutout in the past six matches. The Boilers have been outscored 7-2 in that stretch.

There was plenty on the line besides bragging rights: Purdue sits at 12th in the Big Ten standings, while Indiana sits at 14th.

Only the top eight teams at the end of the regular season advance to the Big 10 Tournament, and there are only five games to play.

Both teams picked up a crucial point Thursday and there is still time for the Boilermakers to punch their black and gold ticket, but only time will tell.

Back four hold down the fort

Regardless of expectations the Hoosier forwards proved to be no match against Purdue’s backline.

The defense, senior Sydney Boudreau alongside sophomores Zoe Cuneio, Gabriela Angulo and Lauren Adam, and captained once again by keeper Emily Edwards, played smart, disciplined football against an Indiana offense that held control of the possession battle almost all game.

In a game that lacked offense, the defense kept on their toes the entire game, with hardly any time to catch their breath between attacks.

Though no goals were scored, the defense must be credited for keeping another clean sheet themselves.

Game of “could-have-beens”

Low-scoring sports like soccer, where an average score is 1-1, often leave players and fans leaving games wondering “what if?”

For Indiana, a close first half handball call in the box was nearly deemed a penalty and therefore a terrific scoring chance for the Hoosiers, however, it was not given.

On the other hand, another close call in which Indiana’s goalie clipped two Purdue strikers while attempting to make a save also in the box resulted in a no-call from the ref, to many boos from Purdue supporters.

The best chance of the game was an uncontested shot from the 12-yard line for Indiana’s forward with five minutes left in the game that sailed wide.

The Boilermakers defend home turf next time for a ranked matchup against No. 7 Ohio State Sunday at 1 p.m.