The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s soccer team is gearing up for two road games this week against SIUE and Southern Indiana.
Game Day Information (Friday)
- Opponent: SIUE Cougars
- Date: Friday, August 25
- Time: 8:00 PM ET
- Location: Edwardsville, Ill. | Korte Stadium
- Live Stats: [Link](add link)
- Watch: ESPN+
- Match Notes: [Purdue Fort Wayne](add link) | [SIUE](add link)
Game Day Information (Sunday)
- Opponent: Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles
- Date: Sunday, August 27
- Time: 3:00 PM ET
- Location: Evansville, Ind. | Strassweg Field
- Live Stats: [Link](add link)
- Watch: ESPN+
- Match Notes: [Purdue Fort Wayne](add link) | [Southern Indiana](add link)
Know Your Foes
- SIUE has begun the season with a 0-2 record, facing losses against Missouri State and Milwaukee. They suffered a 3-1 defeat against the 2022 Horizon League champions, with Ella Robinson scoring a goal just before halftime. Four different Cougars managed one shot each.
- Southern Indiana is currently at 0-1-1, having recently tied with North Alabama. Before their clash with the ‘Dons on Sunday, they will be playing against Wright State on Thursday. In their opening game, USI fell 2-0 to IUPUI. They managed a draw against North Alabama thanks to Maggie Duggan’s goal in the 21st minute.
Series Histories
- SIUE leads the series against the Mastodons with a 3-1 record. However, the last meeting between these teams was in 2010. The Cougars won that match 4-3 in Fort Wayne, but the ‘Dons secured a 2-1 victory in their last Illinois encounter back in 2009.
- Southern Indiana holds a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series against the ‘Dons. These two teams met only once as Division I opponents, which occurred last season. Zoe Greenhalge’s game-winning goal just two minutes into the match gave Southern Indiana the win.
On the Saint Francis Win In the recent victory against Saint Francis (IN) on August 20, the Mastodons achieved a couple of program records. They limited their opponents to just one shot on goal, equalling a record from the Division I era. Additionally, they netted seven goals in the game, matching an all-time program record.
All Eyes on Sam Samantha Castaneda earned a spot on the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch List in early August. She is one of nine goalkeepers across the nation to be included in this list.
Setting Expectations The Mastodons were selected as the third-place team in the Horizon League preseason poll. This is the second-highest preseason ranking a Mastodon women’s soccer team has ever received in a league poll. In 2013, they were predicted to finish second in the Summit League.
Familiar Faces Nine Mastodons return for the 2023 season, all of whom started in at least 17 of the 19 games in the previous season.
Shut Down and Shut Out Purdue Fort Wayne boasted eight shutouts in the previous season, marking a program-best achievement.
Brick Wall Castaneda Samantha Castaneda holds an impressive career goals against average of 1.04, which stands as the best in program history for players with at least 750 minutes in the net. This surpasses the second-best record of 1.68 held by Sam Pavlika (2012-14). Her 2022 GAA of 0.74 is the best for a single season, outperforming Pavlika’s 1.07 in 2012. Castaneda’s career includes 11 shutouts, a record-setting accomplishment.
Home Sweet Hefner! Purdue Fort Wayne had an undefeated record of 6-0-3 at the Hefner Soccer Complex during the 2022 regular season. This marked the first time in program history that the Mastodons maintained an unbeaten record at home.
In The Horizon League Record Book Samantha Castaneda’s four Player of the Week awards tie her for the fifth-most in the league’s history. She follows behind players like Sam Hagen (15 awards, Milwaukee, 2008-11), Elaina LaMacchia (9 awards, Milwaukee, 2018-21), Erin Kane (6 awards, Milwaukee, 2005-08), and Mallory Geurts (5 awards, Milwaukee, 2016-17).
Last Time Out In their most recent game, Purdue Fort Wayne secured a 7-0 victory against Saint Francis (Ind.) at the Hefner Soccer Complex on August 20.
Coming Up Looking ahead, Purdue Fort Wayne is scheduled to host two non-league matches. Eastern Illinois (August 31) and reigning Missouri Valley Conference regular season champion Valparaiso (September 3) will both visit the Hefner Soccer Complex.