EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern returns home for Alumni Day when it hosts No. 22 Purdue on Sunday night. Kickoff from Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium is set for 5 p.m. CT on BTN.
Last time out, the Wildcats (5-9-3, 3-6-1 Big Ten) fell 3-2 at Illinois on Thursday night. Sophomore forward Liz Cardwell tallied her first career goal to open the game. First-year forward Camryn Freeman’s late goal pulled the ‘Cats within one, but NU was unable to find the equalizer.
Goal #️⃣4️⃣ on the season for Camryn Freeman 🤩 https://t.co/7dM0MF6VtS
— Northwestern Soccer (@NUWSoccer) October 23, 2026
NU will honor its alumni, including the 10-year anniversary of its 2016 Big Ten Championship team at halftime of Sunday's game. The 2016 'Cats went 16-3-4 (7-1-3 Big Ten), advancing to the NCAA Round of 16 (best finish in program history), before bowing out in a 1-0 loss at Duke. Wildcat goalkeeper Lauren Clem led the nation in shutouts (17), save percentage (.927) and goals against average (0.290). Clem is being inducted into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend.
Welcome to the @NU_Sports Hall of Fame, Lauren Clem! https://t.co/vZvDcZAoAL
— Northwestern Soccer (@NUWSoccer) October 24, 2026
Freeman has notched four goals over nine appearances, all in Big Ten play. Her four goals in Big Ten play are the most in conference play among Big Ten rookies. On Sep. 27, against Indiana, Freeman tallied her first two career goals, becoming the first Wildcat to notch a brace since Kennedy Roesch in a 3-1 win at Purdue on Oct. 19, 2025, and the first NU first-year to record a brace since Megan Norkett in a 4-1 win over Weber State on Sep. 7, 2023.
NU is 10-18-2 all-time against Purdue, with a 5-7-2 mark in Evanston. Last season, NU defeated Purdue, 3-1 in West Lafayette, Ind., behind a brace from Kennedy Roesch.
The Boilermakers (13-2-2, 7-2-1 Big Ten) lead the nation in scoring offense, scoring 3.59 goals per game. Junior forward Jaiden Anderson leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally with 16 goals on the year. Junior goalkeeper Grace Miller has started each of the last three games, posting a .799 save percentage and a 0.976 goals against average in five games of action this season.
Northwestern will close out the regular season on Friday, Oct. 30, with a matchup against No. 5 Michigan State. Kickoff from Northwestern Medicine Field is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on B1G+.