Box Score I Box Score (.pdf) I Photo Gallery I Highlights I Pursey/Kirkhoff Postgame I Johnson Postgame

INDIANAPOLIS - Freshman forward Valentine Pursey registered her first career hat trick and senior Krissy Kirkhoff tied the school record with three assists in a game as the Jaguars outgunned Wright State, 4-3 at Carroll Stadium on a picturesque Friday night (Oct. 13). The victory was the Jaguars' 11th straight and kept IUPUI perfect in Horizon League play at 6-0 while Wright State fell to 8-7 overall and 3-3 in league play. 

Pursey scored all three of her goals from point blank range, including the game-winner in the 88th minute after Wright State had equalized in the 78th minute. 

"It's tremendous. I can't say enough about the girls and their ability to continue to battle back again and again," head coach Chris Johnson said. "The girls keep believing in themselves. It's a good product of what we're trying to do - investing time in one another and making sure that everyone knows what their role is and what they're supposed to be doing out there. They just kept believing in one other and kept plugging away until they got it done."

Pursey set the tone early in what would be a back-and-forth affair, striking first in the game's eighth minute. Senior Leia Peterman sent a long pass deep into WSU territory, getting it past Raider goalkeeper Maddie Jewell before Pursey tucked a score into the right side of the net. WSU got even 91 seconds later when Sarah Colvin flared a shot over the head of true freshman keeper Skylar England, who was making her first career start in place of an injured Sophia Lipka. 

The Jags then fell behind for the first time since the current winning streak began when WSU's Jordyne Helinski poked in a shot from in close for her fourth score of the season.

However, Kirkhoff and Pursey were just getting started. Kirkhoff threaded a centering pass into trouble and Pursey slid in and redirected a shot past Jewell in the 30th minute to knot the score at 2-2. 

The score remained until the 53rd minute when freshman Miranda Ricks got in on the act, capitalizing on a well placed Kirkhoff corner kick. The Jaguars' career assist leader sent a corner to the far post where Ricks was able to chest a shot into the open net for her third score of the year. IUPUI would've been content to try and kill the game from there, using passing and possession to eat up long stretches of clock. However, WSU's Destiny Johnson had other ideas as she scored in the 78th minute, taking advantage of an errant clearance to roll a shot past England to tie the score at 3-3. 

Pursey capped the hat trick with her eighth goal of the year and fifth career game-winner in the 88th minute, extending the current winning streak. Kirkhoff sent another corner kick inside the six-yard box where Pursey had a crafty finish, redirecting a shot with her plant leg just over the endline for just the eighth hat trick in program history. It was the first time since 2001 that an IUPUI player had a hat trick in league play and snapped a seven-game skid against Wright State. 

"We've been working a lot in practice on corner kicks and I just put it in and people got to it. I'm really proud of them," Kirkhoff said. 

Kirkhoff's third assist of the game tied the program's single-game record, set by Tara Latella against Youngstown State in 2001. It also gave a Kirkhoff a school record tenth assist of the season and upped her career record to 21. The Indianapolis-native sits one point short of tying Megan Hock's school record of 74 as well. 

The trio of Kirkhoff, Pursey and Ricks continues to impress at the forward positions, having combined to score nine of the team's 12 game-winners on the year. 

"We've been working a lot in practice - working with movement, connecting with each other and just getting the ball down and playing. Individually, it's worked and together, it's progressed even more each game," Pursey said. 

The group helped IUPUI to a 22-10 shot advantage on Friday and an 11-6 edge in shots on goal. England made three saves in her first collegiate appearance and collected the win. 

"We have confidence in our team. We have a lot of confidence in Skylar and all of our teammates," Kirkhoff said. "Everyone did their job today."

The Jags continue to build on the nation's second-longest winning streak at 11, trailing only Duke's 13-game winning streak. The Jags are one win shy of tying the program's record of 12 straight wins, set during the 2009 season. 

IUPUI will look to match that mark on Sunday evening when it hosts Fort Wayne at 4:00 p.m. at the on-campus Michael A. Carroll Stadium. That match will be part of a men's and women's doubleheader with the men's match with Belmont beginning at 1:00 p.m.. Adult admission to those matches is just $5 and IUPUI students are admitted for FREE with a valid Crimson Card.