The Purdue Northwest women's soccer team battled through hot conditions in its 2026 home opener Wednesday morning, but Illinois Springfield scored the decisive goal late to hand the Lions a tough 2-1 setback at Pepsi Field.
The basics
Inside the numbers
- Senior Nayla Pena (Edinburg, Texas/Robert Vela) scored her second goal of the season, with senior Addison Thomas (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) providing the assist.
- Purdue Northwest finished with eight shots, including two on goal.
- Illinois Springfield recorded 12 shots, placing nine attempts on target.
- The Lions held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks.
- Senior Meta Fischer (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) played all 90 minutes in goal for PNW, making seven saves in the contest.
- Illinois Springfield's goalkeeper, Gigi Yurivich, recorded one save.
- Purdue Northwest was called for five fouls, while UIS committed three.
- Abby Schaft (Troy, Ill./Triad) was issued the lone caution of the match for the Lions.
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The breakdown
- Purdue Northwest battled Illinois Springfield through the opening half in the heat, with both teams looking to gain an early advantage.
- The Lions broke through in the 36th minute when Pena found the back of the net off an assist from Thomas to give PNW a 1-0 lead.
- Illinois Springfield responded just over a minute later, as Autumn Diduch scored in the 38th minute to bring the match level at 1-1 heading into halftime.
- Both teams continued to battle throughout the second half, with the Lions creating opportunities while their defense worked to keep UIS off the scoreboard.
- Purdue Northwest held a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks during the second half and continued to pressure the Prairie Stars.
- Illinois Springfield ultimately found the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute when Maddie Festerling scored to give UIS a 2-1 advantage.
- The Lions pushed forward during the final minutes in search of an equalizer, but Illinois Springfield's defense held on to secure the road victory.
- Despite the result, Purdue Northwest continued to show resilience in a hard-fought contest, with the Lions now sitting at 1-1-1 through three matches.
- Purdue Northwest returns to action on the road as they travel to take on Winona State on Sunday, September 6, for their final non-conference game. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. CT in Winona, Minnesota.
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