CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (www.purduesports.com) – First-half goals from Erika Arkans and Gianna Milaro staked Purdue women’s soccer to an early lead and the defense took care of the rest in a 2-0 victory at Illinois to kick off Big Ten Conference play Thursday evening.

The victory was the first by the road team in the Purdue-Illinois series, which dates back to the Boilermakers’ inaugural 1998 campaign. Purdue had not tasted victory in Champaign since defeating DePaul and Western Michigan in the first two rounds of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

The Boilermakers (3-4) won their Big Ten opener for the first time since 2008, snapping a five-game losing streak and seven-game winless drought in their first conference contest of a season.

Arkans scored her first goal of the year and ninth career in the 13th minute off an assist from Vanessa Korolas. Milaro scored with a header in the 29th minute, finishing off a corner kick sequence for her first collegiate goal. She became the first Boilermaker to score her first career goal this season. Meanwhile, Purdue took a 2-0 lead into the half of a Big Ten road game for the first time since winning 2-1 at Minnesota in October 2011.

Goalkeeper Erika Yohn was credited with five saves while earning her third career solo shutout. Defenders Lydia Brosnahan, Maddy Duncan, Megan Kaser and Gabby LaMere all went the distance in front of their goalkeeper, helping lead the Boilermakers to their first shutout of the season.

Andrea Petrina and Mikayla Lasky set up Milaro’s goal. Petrina served in the corner kick from the northwest corner of the field, finding Lasky’s head past the far (right) post. Lasky headed the ball right to left to Milaro, who headed it home inside the left post from the top of the six-yard box.

Arkans’ goal was her fifth career game winner. Korolas created the scoring chance with a long run with the ball at her feet up the left flank. She fed a left-to-right ground pass to Arkans, who blasted a shot inside the left (near) post from the inside edge of the 18-yard box.

Brosnahan nearly scored off the game’s first corner kick in the 24th minute. Kaser’s service found the freshman in the heart of the 18-yard box where she directed the one-touch shot towards the right post. An Illinois defender was in position along the goal line to knock the ball down with her body for a team save.

Though she started and went the distance at center back in last weekend’s game with Utah that was called off due to thunderstorms before it became an official contest, Brosnahan performed well again on this night in what will ultimately count as her first collegiate start.

Champaign native Dagny Olson was the first Boilermaker off the bench and logged 49 minutes to lead the reserves.

Purdue closes out its conference-opening weekend Sunday at Northwestern. The 4 p.m. ET game will be televised live by the Big Ten Network.

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