WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A two-goal second half propelled the Purdue soccer team to a 2-1 comeback victory over Western Kentucky on Sunday afternoon at Folk Field.
In the final non-conference game of the regular season, junior forward Megan Hutchinson scored the game-winning goal in the 69th minute, after sophomore forward Kayla Budish started the rally with the tying goal in the 58th. The visitors took an early lead in the 10th minute but were held goalless for the final 80 minutes.
The Boilermakers (3-5-0) had 14 shots, six on target, and the Hilltoppers (1-2-5) had eight shots, five on goal. Both teams had a pair of corner kicks, one in each half, and Purdue had nine fouls to WKU’s five.
The two goals allowed by Western Kentucky are tied for its second-most in a game this season. Purdue’s second-half goals were the first against WKU in more than three matches, after the Hilltoppers’ last three games were 0-0 draws.
The Boilermakers improve to 2-0-0 in the all-time series with Sunday’s win.
Budish netted her team-high-tying third goal in 2023 and seventh of her career, as she is one goal shy of matching her total of four from her freshman campaign a year ago. Hutchinson came off the bench to score her second career goal, both coming this season, and she notched her first career game-winner. Budish now leads the team with eight points on the year and Hutchinson is tied for second, with six.
Junior midfielder Abigail Roy assisted on both goals for her second and third assists in 2023. She now has five in her career, and the three assists this year is second-most on the team.
Senior midfielder Emily Mathews led the Boilermakers with three shots, while she and Budish each had two shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Charlotte Cyr made four saves, as did her WKU counterpart.
Mathews opened the game with a shot in the third minute before the Hilltoppers took a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute. Kayla Meyer scored unassisted on the visitors’ first shot of the contest.
Purdue had the next five chances in the following 15-plus minutes, but could not get the quick-response goal. Mathews and Budish each had opportunities that were saved, along with junior midfielder Victoria Kevdzija, whose shot in the 26th minute came less than three minutes after she entered the game.
Two saves by Cyr followed before senior forward Zoie Alen had a chance from 25 yards away. However, after a long run on the left side, her shot just missed the top-left corner of the goal.
As Purdue continued to look for the equalizer, Hutchinson had a shot blocked and Kevdzija sent a shot wide. That chance in the 40th minute was the last for either team in the half.
The home side held a 9-3 advantage in shots and a 4-3 edge in shots on goal in the opening 45 minutes.
Western Kentucky had two of the first three shots in the second half. The first nearly extended the lead, but it ricocheted off the right post in the 51st minute. The second WKU chance was blocked, after Mathews had a shot of her own blocked from inside the 18.
Budish then got the equalizer at 57:10 to make it a 1-1 game. A cross into the box was punched out by WKU’s keeper, but the ball bounced to Roy 30 yards out. She then found Budish to her left at the top of the penalty box. Wide open with plenty of space, Budish fired a shot into the top-right corner of the net. The right-footed strike was perfectly placed beyond the hands of the diving goalkeeper.
Cyr made her third save of the game in the 61st minute before Hutchinson scored the game-winner at 68:01 to give the Boilermakers their first lead at 2-1.
The play began with a clearance from inside the penalty area by Western Kentucky, which went to senior midfielder Nicole Kevdzija. She then passed the ball up to Roy, who quickly sent it up into the 18 to Hutchinson. On the right side, Hutchinson got the ball, quickly turned to her left and arced a shot over the Hilltopper keeper and into the back of the net.
Along with Roy’s second assist of the day, Nicole Kevdzija picked up her first of the year and fourth career assist.
Western Kentucky had a chance to equal the score in the final minutes, but Cyr made a save in the 87th after a corner kick, and the Boilermaker defense forced a shot wide in the 89th.
Both teams had five shots in the second half, with four shots on target for Purdue and none on goal for the Hilltoppers.
Up next, Big Ten play begins in one week when Purdue welcomes No. 20 Northwestern to Folk Field on Sunday, September 17. The top-25 opponent will be the Boilermakers’ fourth ranked foe in their first nine games of the season. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET, and admission is free for all fans. The contest is Senior Day and part of Alumnae Reunion Weekend.