Northwestern University Athletics
Thursday, October 16
Evanston, Ill.
6:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
Illinois
Photo by: Henry Frieman/Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern Welcomes Illinois, Visits Purdue
10/15/2025 4:28:00 PM | Women's Soccer
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern women's soccer continues Big Ten play with a pair of games this weekend against Illinois and at Purdue. The 'Cats will host in-state rival Illinois in their penultimate home matchup of the regular season on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. CT on B1G+ before hitting the road on Sunday for a trip to Purdue at 5 p.m. CT on BTN.
LAST TIME OUTEyes Ahead ??
— Northwestern Soccer (@NUWSoccer) October 15, 2025
B1G Weekend on Deck. pic.twitter.com/XvVM4Xau5q
Last time out, the Wildcats (6-3-6, 2-2-4 Big Ten) earned their second 3-0 Big Ten win in just over a week in a victory over Rutgers. Kennedy Roesch opened the scoring in the eighth minute and Megan Norkett added a second in the 20th minute with her first goal of the 2025 season. Keira Kemmerley tallied her first career goal to extend NU's lead to 3-0. NU recorded its eighth shutout of the season, its most in a season since 2022 (10).
NORTHWESTERN NOTABLES
Northwestern is 3-1-2 at home this season, including a 2-1-1 mark in Big Ten play. The 'Cats are outscoring opponents 7-2 at home in conference play.
With three regular season games to go, the Wildcats are 10th in the Big Ten standings with 10 points and rank 39th in the NCAA's Division I Women's Soccer RPI. The top 10 teams in the Big Ten standings qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.
First-year goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson ranks second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally with eight shutouts on the 2025 campaign. Nelson's eight clean sheets are fifth-most in school history and second-most by a first-year goalkeeper in school history.
Sophomore forward Kennedy Roesch leads Northwestern with six goals and 15 points on the year. Roesch ranks fifth in the Big Ten in goals (six) and sixth in points (15). As a first-year, Roesch led all 'Cats with six goals and 14 points. Roesch's six goals marked the most by a Wildcat first-year since 2010 (Kate Allen). The 'Cats are 8-1-3 when Roesch tallies a goal.
Senior captain Caterina Regazzoni is tied for the team lead with two game-winning goals this season and ranks third in program history with seven game-winners. Over half of Regazzoni's 12 career goals have stood up as game-winners.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
Illinois (12-2-1, 5-2-1 Big Ten) currently sits in a tie for third place in the Big Ten with 16 points on the season. Illinois goalkeeper Izzy Lee leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally with nine shutouts. Sarah Foley, Cayla Jackson, and Emma Yee lead the Fighting Illini offensively with six goals each.
Thursday's meeting will mark the 31st all-time between Northwestern and Illinois. Illinois leads the series 16-10-4, but NU is unbeaten in three of the last four against Illinois and has not lost to the Illini in Evanston since 2020.
SCOUTING PURDUE
Purdue (5-8-3, 2-5-1 Big Ten) currently ranks 15th in the Big Ten, three points out of the final Big Ten Tournament spot, currently held by NU. The Boilermakers are led offensively by Chiara Singarella and Irene Campo with six goals each. Junior goalkeeper Emily Edwards has a 1.08 goals against average to go with a .775 save percentage.
The Boilermakers lead the all-time series, 18-9-2. The 'Cats have won two of the last three against Purdue.
UP NEXT
Northwestern will close out the regular season on Sunday, Oct. 26 against Wisconsin at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. CT on B1G+.
Players Mentioned
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