Hoosiers Set for Trip to No. 25 Northwestern and Illinois

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana Women's Soccer (7-5-2, 3-4-0 Big Ten) hits the road this week as the Hoosiers visit No. 25 Northwestern (8-4-2, 2-4-1 Big Ten) on Thursday night and Illinois (8-6-0, 3-4 Big Ten) on Sunday afternoon.

Both games will be big in the race for the Big Ten Tournament as just the top eight teams qualify. With nine points, the Hoosiers are tied with Illinois and Michigan for seventh place. Northwestern sits just below with seven points.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
• The Wildcats, who come in at No. 25 in this week's United Soccer Coaches Poll, started the 2018 campaign with an eight-game unbeaten streak before falling to Minnesota on Sept. 14. Other conference setbacks include Ohio State and Maryland. Northwestern defeated then-No. 20 Penn State and Michigan while drawing with Wisconsin. Last weekend, the Wildcats fell to Rutgers and Maryland on the road. Offensively, Brenna Lovera has led the attack with six goals and three assists. Kayla Sharples has scored three times, while Marisa Viggiano has a team-high four assists. The Wildcat defense has been staunch this year, having surrendered just nine goals. Goalkeeper Mackenzie Wood has a 0.61 goals against average with 48 saves.

• Northwestern leads the all-time series, 12-11-3, with the last IU victory coming in 2014 in Evanston.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS
• The Fighting Illini went 5-2 in non-conference action, highlight by a victory against then-No. 3 Duke on Aug. 19 and against then-No. 14 Oklahoma State on Aug. 31. In Big Ten action, Illinois has defeated Minnesota, Michigan State and Maryland. Last week, the Fighting Illini earned the victory against the Terrapins Thursday before falling to Rutgers in overtime, 1-0. Illinois' offense has been strong this year, netting 25 goals, led by five from Katie Murray. Seven Illini have scored two or more goals this season. In goal, Jaelyn Cunningham has a 0.99 goals against average with 42 saves.

• Illinois leads the all-time series, 12-6-4. Last season, the Fighting Illini came out with a 3-1 victory in Bloomington. The last time the teams met in Champaign, Mykayla Brown found the game-winner for the Hoosiers in a 1-0 overtime win in 2016. Brown also scored against Illinois last season.

LAST TIME OUT
• IU fell to Wisconsin on Friday, 2-1, before bouncing back Sunday for a 3-2 victory against Minnesota on Senior Day. The Hoosiers trailed the Golden Gophers, 2-1, with 6:31 remaining before mounting the comeback. Meghan Scott equalized the game in the 84th minute before Brown sent in the game-winner in the 86th minute. It marked the first win against the Golden Gophers since 2013.

HOOSIER NOTES
• The Hoosier offense leads the Big Ten in numerous categories - including goals (30), points (95) and assists (35). Indiana also leads in goals per game (2.14) and assists per game (2.50).

•On a national level, Indiana is tied for eighth in the country in assists and tied for 10th in assists per game. In addition, the Hoosiers are 17th in total points and 21st in points per game (6.79).

• Indiana's 30 goals are the most in a single-season since the 2013 squad set the program record with 43 goals. In addition, the 35 assists are the most since the 2013 team recorded 46.

• IU has seen 11 different Hoosiers find the back of the net this season, while 14 have registered at least one point. Seven different players have scored two or more goals, while four have scored at least three times.

• Mykayla Brown has been on a remarkable run lately, scoring five goals in the last five games, including the third brace of her career against the Golden Gophers Sunday. Brown's 18 career goals is tied for seventh most in program history. Her five goals in Big Ten play is tied for second-most in program history for a single conference season (most-Kristin Arnold with 8 in 2007) and her 11 points is tied for fourth-most (most – Kristin Arnold with 16 in 2007). Brown's 11 career goals in Big Ten play is second all-time at Indiana (most – Kim Grodek with 12 from 2001-04).

• Abby Allen is leading the Hoosiers in scoring this season with seven goals and seven assists, as her 21 points are good for second-most in the Big Ten. In addition, her 21 points are the most in a single-season for a Hoosier since Lisa Nouanesengsy registered 25 points during the 2013 campaign and Allen ranks 10th in program history for single-season points.

• Senior Maya Piper's five assists in conference play are second-most in a single conference season in IU history (most – Rebecca Candler with 6 in 2013). Piper and Allen both have seven assists on the season, tied for seventh-most in program history.

• Goalkeeper Bethany Kopel's 71 saves are tied for the most in the Big Ten. The sophomore already has 167 saves in her IU career, good for seventh all-time.

Indiana University Athletics

Hoosiers Set for Trip to No. 25 Northwestern and Illinois

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Players Mentioned

Abby Allen

Mykayla Brown

Bethany Kopel

Maya Piper

Meghan Scott

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