WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Milwaukee women's soccer team played Purdue to a scoreless battle until late in the day, falling by a final score of 1-0 in the 2019 exhibition opener Tuesday at Folk Field.
 
A defensive battle until the closing minutes, the Boilermakers found the back of the net in the 83^rd minute for the only goal of the contest.
 
The Panthers had 22 different players see action on the day – including five freshmen – competing against a Purdue squad that is returning all but one starter this fall.
 
"Today was a good opportunity to play against a Big Ten opponent on the road," head coach Troy Fabiano said. "We were able to get a lot of players on the field against a quality opponent."
 
Milwaukee put up the first charge of the second half after a 0-0 deadlock through the first 45 minutes. The team recorded three shots between the 58^th and 71^st minutes, with a nice save by Purdue goalkeeper Marisa Bova on a breakaway attempt from Courtney Hoppe keeping them off the board at the 70:57 mark.
 
The final shot count saw a 12-5 advantage to the home team, with just a slim 3-2 edge in shots on goal.
 
McKenna Stratton accounted for three of MKE's five shot attempts, with Hoppe tallying the other two in her collegiate debut.
 
Elaina LaMacchia played the first 76:13 in goal for the Panthers, recording a pair of saves. Olivia Davies-McDaniel subbed in for the final 13:47.
 
Milwaukee wraps up exhibition play with a home contest against Loyola Chicago Saturday, set to kickoff at 7 p.m. at Engelmann Stadium.