No. 25 Nebraska soccer came up with its fifth win in a row on Thursday, shutting out Purdue 2-0.
The Huskers, who also shut out their opponent for the third time in the last five matches, moved to 6-1-2 in Big Ten play. Here are three takeaways from an important victory.
Final Regular Season Home Match Goes Smoothly
Nebraska took care of business in front of a crowd of over 1,200.
Purdue entered the night winless in conference play, though its draw with Penn State a week ago made it a more respectable opponent. Still, the Huskers played their style of soccer, taking the lead in the first half with Eleanor Dale’s 22nd goal of the season. The defense stayed strong throughout, allowing three total shots on goal.
The second goal came immediately following a strong defensive effort from Nebraska in the second half. Once Nebraska ended Purdue’s threat, Sadie Waite passed ahead to Florence Belzile, and the duo found themself in an advantageous position heading downfield against a lone Boilermaker defender. Belzile sent a well-placed ball back to Waite, and she beat the keeper to it to provide some late insurance.
For the moment, this is Nebraska’s final home match, but there’s a real chance for more. If the Huskers remain in the top four of the conference standings (more on that later), they’ll host their quarterfinal game in the Big Ten Tournament. They’ll also likely make the NCAA Tournament, where games take place at campus sites up until the semifinals.
Sarah Weber Exits with Injury
Something to watch moving forward will be the health of midfielder Sarah Weber.
The junior exited in the first half after appearing to take an inadvertent hit to the head from a Purdue player. The Boilermaker was given a yellow card for the foul, and Weber exited as she grabbed her face. She did not return to the match.
Weber, a first-team all-conference selection last year, has been one of the team’s top players once again. She has nine goals and five assists on the season, fantastic numbers that may be overshadowed somewhat by Dale’s output.
Any missed action would be significant for the team. Her availability for Sunday likely won’t be publicly known until the day of the match.
Standings to be Decided on Sunday
The top of the Big Ten standings only got somewhat less crowded on Thursday.
Nebraska entered the night tied with Michigan State and Indiana for second in the league. The Spartans won as well, but the Hoosiers dropped their game against Penn State — which remains in first place by a single point.
Now, the Huskers are only tied with Michigan State for second, but are only three points ahead of fifth-place Indiana. A win against Illinois will ensure they finish no lower than third. If the Nittany Lions don’t win against a tough Wisconsin team, that opens the door for Nebraska to earn at least a share of the regular season conference title. Michigan State plays an Iowa squad fighting for a spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
The worst-case scenario is a fourth- or fifth-place finish for the Huskers, which would mean a quarterfinal match against another top-five Big Ten team and a game against the top seed if they advance to the semifinals. The only way to ensure that doesn’t happen is winning on Sunday.
