The Northwestern women's soccer team isn't always on the road. It just seems that way.

The Wildcats (3-5-1, 1-3 Big Ten) hit the road again this weekend, meeting Purdue and Indiana in a pair of Big Ten matches. It marks the fourth weekend out of five the 'Cats have been away from home, and these matches will make it eight out of 10 away from Lakeside Field.

"I don't think our being on the road has a lot to do with our success, or lack thereof," said head coach Jenny Haigh. "Obviously we'd like to have played more home games at this point, but we've been doing well approaching our games one at a time. Besides, it can work both ways -- on the road it can be all about the team, and there aren't the distractions that may exist at home."

Northwestern scored its first conference win last weekend at Iowa, but came back with a lackluster effort in dropping a 3-1 decision at Illinois. This weekend, Haigh is hoping for two solid efforts.

"We've spent the week trying to solidify those aspects of our game that we consider weaknesses," she said. "We worked on being a little more composed and re-committing ourselves to working to our strengths. We believe in what we're doing out there, and we won't change our game plan."

That said, Haigh knows her team is in for two battles this weekend. Purdue, in just its fourth year as a varsity program, is ranked 22nd in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. The Boilermakers are 6-2- 1 (2-1-1 Big Ten) but are coming off a tie at Ohio State and a loss at Penn State last weekend.

A lot of Purdue's success lies in its defense. The Boilers have allowed just six goals in their nine matches, and just one (to Penn State) in four Big Ten matches. And if that wasn't enough, they are certain to be loaded for revenge after last year, when NU defeated them at Lakeside Field on a goal with just two seconds left in regulation.

"Purdue is a program that has slowly and steadily progressed to where they are now," said Haigh. "Rob Klatte, their head coach, has done a great job laying down a foundation and building that program up. This year it's been paying off -- they have some nice results."

Indiana (5-3-1, 2-1-1 Big Ten) seems to be solidifying itself, as well. The Hoosiers are 4-1-1 in their last six matches, the lone blemish being a 3-0 loss at Penn State last weekend. They are also balanced -- eight different players have scored their 14 goals, and their five game-winning goals have come from five different players.

"Indiana is a physical, tough, athletic team," said Haigh. "They have a new coach in Mick Lyons so there's a new energy in the program, and they figure to be better than a year ago when we tied them up here."

The good news for Haigh and her squad? When they arrive home on Sunday night, they won't have to get back on a bus for some time. The next five matches are at home, through the rest of October.

Tabitha Lowey has two goals, tops among NU's many freshmen