Indiana women’s soccer suffered another loss Thursday, falling 5-0 to Purdue for its eighth loss in their last nine matches. 

Following the defeat, Indiana head coach Josh Rife’s message to his team was clear.  

“If you don’t believe you’re going to win, don’t show up,” Rife said. 

Through 16 games, Indiana holds a 4-10-2 record overall and is 1-8-1 in conference play. But still, the Hoosiers, now on a two-game losing streak, are undeterred from showing up and playing their best soccer, with their next opportunity for a win coming against Rutgers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bill Armstrong Stadium..  

“We didn’t sign up to play 10 conference games, right?” Rife said. “We signed up to play 12.” 

Offensively, the Hoosiers are led by junior midfielder Maggie Ledwith, who leads the team in goals scored with five. Senior midfielder Kennedy Neighbors has been an integral part of the Hoosiers starting 11 this season, starting all 16 games while scoring two goals and assisting three. She leads the team in goals assisted. 

The Scarlet Knights come to Bloomington on a two-game slide, just like their hosts. Their last match resulted in a 3-0 loss to No. 3 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.  

Rutgers is tied for 12th in the Big Ten with Illinois, Northwestern and Nebraska. A win for the Scarlet Knights would earn them three more points, which is critical as the team sits right on the 10-team bubble for the Big Ten Tournament. 

Rutgers freshman forward Lilia Calvert leads her team in goals scored with four through the 15 games she’s started. She also has recorded the most assists on the team with three. 

In his 13th season as the head coach of Rutgers, Mike O’Neil enters the final stretch of the year in a different position than where he is used to. O’Neal has helped the Scarlet Knights make the NCAA Tournament 11 out of the last 12 seasons. As Rutgers may be far away from the national stage, his coaching experience and history of postseason runs will undoubtedly help his team make a strong push for the Big Ten Tournament with two games left to play. 

Historically, the Hoosiers have struggled against the Scarlet Knights, owning a 2-8-1 record all time since their first meeting in 2014. The last time these teams played, Indiana left Piscataway, New Jersey, with a 2-0 defeat.  

The Hoosiers hope to remedy that result when the two teams face off Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. with coverage available on Big Ten+.