Purdue Northwest Falls Late to St. Francis (Ind.), 2-1
The Purdue University Northwest women’s soccer team dropped a 2-1 decision to St. Francis (Ind.) Wednesday afternoon at Dowling Park.
The Pride (2-3) took an early 1-0 lead in the 24th minute, thanks to a goal from sophomore Shelby Ross (Nashville, Ind./Columbus North), who ripped a shot from over 20 yards away to beat the keeper high, giving PNW the 1-0 advantage.
Both teams would remain scoreless for the rest of the half, with the Black and Gold taking a 1-0 lead heading in to the break.
Despite a gritty effort by the PNW back line to keep the Cougars offense at bay, St. Francis would find the back of the net late in the second half, after Summer Holtkamp headed in the game-tying goal on a cross from Mackenzi Starcevich in the 85th.
The Cougars would end up scoring the game-winning goal in the 89th minute, when Starcevich connected on a header after a St. Francis throw in, which clinched the match for the Cougars.
Shayna Coy (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Luers) led all players for Purdue Northwest with three shots, two on goal, while Shayla McNeal (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) tallied a pair of shots in the loss.
Purdue Northwest will be back in action next Wednesday, Sept. 14, when the Pride kicks off conference play with a home match against Olivet Nazarene at 4 p.m. at Dowling Park's Pepsi Field.
The Purdue University Northwest volleyball team will look to start the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference on a high note as the Pride host Olivet Nazarene Thursday night in Westville.
The Tigers (5-4, 0-0 CCAC) will take on the Pride (4-2, 0-0 CCAC) at starting at 7 p.m. (CT) in the first-ever contest held at the newly constructed James B. Dworkin Student Services & Activities Complex (DSSAC) on PNW's Westville campus, located at 1401 S. U.S. Hwy 421, Westville, Ind. The Dworkin Center is located on far south side of campus.
For a campus map, http://www.pnw.edu/facilities/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015-PNC-Campus-Map-Model3.pdf
DONATE FOR A CAUSE
PNW is teaming up with Olivet Nazarene to host a supply drive Thursday and throughout the week to support an upcoming opponent, Indiana Kokomo. The IU-Kokomo volleyball team, along with the entire Kokomo community, was recently devastated with three tornadoes in late August and many students, including members of the IU-Kokomo volleyball team, have lost their homes and belongings completely.
The Pride will accept the following items at Thursday's game and throughout the week in order to take with them to their IU-Kokomo match held Sept. 14 in Kokomo. Items can be dropped after the game at either the Hammond Fitness and Recreation Center or the James B. Dworkin Center in Westville.
Items in need:
- -Deodorant
- -Shampoo (smaller bottles are preferred)
- -Toothpaste
- -Toothbrushes
- -Soap (individual bars or smaller bottles preferred)
- -Toilet paper/Kleenex/paper towels
- -Laundry detergent (smaller bottles or small pouches of pods to help those that had clothes soiled after the storm/water damage)
- -Clorox wipes
- -Feminine hygiene products (all varieties)
- -Diapers (for our students with families)
- -Notepads
- -Pens and pencils
- -Folders
- -Peanut butter
- -Cans or pouches of tuna
- -Crackers
- -Cereals/oatmeal
- -Granola bars and/or nutritional bars
- -Macaroni & cheese
- -Pasta or rice side dishes
- -Instant soups
- -Raisins & fruit snacks
- -Small packages of condiments
- -Gluten-free items
- -Microwave popcorn/snack foods (box of snack sized bags of pretzels, etc.)
LAST TIME OUT
PNW is coming off a three-set sweep over Indiana Northwest Sept. 6 at Hammond's Fitness & Recreation Center, topping the RedHawks 26-24, 27-25, and 25-18. Freshman Olivia Simpson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) continued her strong rookie campaign in a balanced attack, recording eight kills on 16 attacks to total a team-best .312 attack percentage, four service aces, six digs, and two block assists.
Junior Gabrielle Martin (Kankakee Valley, Ind./Kankakee Valley) added seven kills and six digs, and freshmen Auburn Dodd (Chicago, Ill./Gwendolyn Brooks) and Brooke Ahrens (Covington, Ind./Covington) had six kills each to lead the offense. Ahrens and Abbe Mullen (Lansing, Ill./T.F. South) recorded double-digit assist numbers with 16 and 10, respectively, and libero Casey Neulieb (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) led the PNW defense with 10 digs.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
ONU, who is receiving votes, is coming off a three-set loss at home against Indiana South Bend Sept. 6, 25-23, 25-22, and 25-23. The Tigers are led by Katie Tabisz, who has 49 kills, 1.88 K/Set. On defense, ONU is led by Rachel Kirby, who has 21 total blocks.
SCOUTING THE PRIDE
PNW is led by Martin, who has 67 kills, 3.05 K/Set and freshman Olivia Simpson, who adds 2.20 kills per set. On defense, the Pride are led by Kayla Elsea (Palmyra, Ind./Crawford County), who has 20 total blocks and Casey Neulieb with 3.64 digs per set. Freshman setter Brooke Ahrens (5.77 assists per set) and sophomore Abbe Mullen (3.55 assists per set) direct the Pride offense.
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday will mark the first meeting between ONU and the newly formed Purdue Northwest program, which represents a merged squad of the Purdue North Central and Purdue Calumet programs.
LIVE LOOK
Live video and stats will be available for Thursday's match on the Pride Sports Network, in coordination with Stretch Internet. PNW will once again offer HD-quality video with multiple camera angles this season. All of PNW's home volleyball games will be streamed on PSN, found here: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/pnw/
TICKET INFORMATION
Ticket prices for all PNW home volleyball matches are $6 for adults (18 and up) and $4 for children (ages 4-17). Children three and under are free and all PNW students with valid ID are also free. Season ticket packages are available beginning at $30 for two adult passes to all 10 home dates and can be purchased online by credit card HERE.