Realistically, one might well have expected that after suffering their first loss to a Big Ten opponent, the Scarlet Knights would have come out looking to re-establish their dominance over a conference foe.

But while they out-shot the Purdue Boilermakers through the first 45 minutes of play, the Scarlet Knights found themselves on the short end of the scoreboard when the first half drew to a close.

The game was close through the first twenty minutes, but when senior Lexi Fraley’s tough angle shot was saved by RU goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer, the rebound kicked out into the center of the pitch. From there, junior Kayla Budish put a shot into the goal to give the Boilermakers a 1-0 lead at 21:37.

Less than seven minutes later, midfielder Lauren Meeks launched a shot from the left wing, where the ball pinballed around before being buried into the net by senior Sydney Boudreau at 28:05, giving Purdue a two-goal advantage.

The balance of the half, while scoreless, was a clear display of the frustration on the part of the Scarlet Knights as they accrued two yellow cards for unsporting by Reilly McGlinn as well as a team-assessed yellow card for dissent before the period ended with Purdue leading, 2-0.

Down by two scores, the Scarlet Knights appeared to be in hurry-up mode early in the second half, as they looked to notch multiple goals in the final 45 minutes.

But, pressing on offense often leads to the opposition getting chances, which is exactly what happened. The Boilermakers continued to run free down the sidelines of the pitch, offering potential crossing passes that went wide of the Rutgers net, or led to missed shots that would have been the knockout punch.

As time ticked down in the second half, the Rutgers attack got more desperate, making longer passes in an attempt to shorten the pitch.

However, the Boilermakers would have no part of it.

Purdue allowed the Scarlet Knights to possess the ball in their own end, but when they crossed the center line, the Boilermakers’ defense collapsed down to clog the passing lanes and smother any attack before it got near goalkeeper Claire Wyville.

In the end, the Scarlet Knights never appeared to get their footing in the match, as the Boilermakers had Rutgers well scouted, executing their game plan to near-perfection. Despite collecting 17 shots in the contest, Rutgers could not find a goal, despite having 10 of those tries on net.

By comparison the Boilermakers were efficient in their final home game, scoring two goals on their 10 shots, five of which were on net. With the win, the Boilermakers reached the .500 mark, now standing at 7-7-2, while RU fell to 9-3-3. In just her second start of the season, Wyville posted a clean sheet victory, collecting seven saves, as Purdue shutout Rutgers, 2-0.

The Knights will look to re-group as they come home to Piscataway to play host to Illinois on Sunday, October 20. The game is set for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff at Yurcak Field and will be carried on the Big Ten Plus network.