The top four teams in the Big Ten Women’s Soccer standings are separated by just two points, and they’ll go head-to-head this weekend. First-place UCLA will host second-place Washington on Friday, while first-place Ohio State will visit second-place Purdue on Sunday. We’ll see if this weekend brings separation... or more chaos. 

First vs. Second in L.A. 

The first matchup between first- and second-place teams pits No. 14 Washington against No. 11 UCLA on Friday night (11 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network). Expect offense to be at a premium in this one with only 19 goals allowed between the two teams this year (Washington eight, UCLA 11). Both the Huskies and Bruins bring a strong defensive game to the pitch, led by goalkeepers Tanner Ijams and Daphne Nakfoor, respectively. Ijams enters with a 0.58 goals against average (third in the Big Ten) and leads the conference with eight shutouts, while Nakfoor enters with a fourth-best 0.72 GAA. A couple more players to keep an eye on in this one: Washington’s Jadyn Holdenried and UCLA’s Kara Croone. Both have shown a knack for coming through in the clutch this season with three game-winning goals each.  

A victory for the Bruins could go a long way, not only in the conference title race, but also towards seeding for the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament Presented by Allstate. They’ve already beaten Ohio State and Purdue this year – another triumph against the Huskies would make them 3-0 against the teams closest to them in the standings.  

First vs. Second Teams and Scorers 

The other first vs. second place matchup will take place on Sunday in West Lafayette, where No. 20 Purdue looks to take down another top-five team in No. 3 Ohio State (noon ET on Big Ten Network). The Boilermakers knocked off then-No. 2 Michigan State last week to finally enter the top 25 poll, and a victory against the Buckeyes could vault them to the top of the Big Ten. 

This tilt will feature two matchups that’ll be fun to watch: 

• The nation’s best offense vs. the Big Ten’s best defense: Purdue leads the country with an incredible 55 goals, and that offense will test a stingy Ohio State defense. The Buckeyes have allowed just six scores all year, with goalkeeper Peighton Northrup leading the conference with a 0.47 GAA and .872 save percentage. 
• Top scorers go head-to-head: Two of the league's most talented offensive players will be hunting for goals. Ohio State’s Amanda Schlueter leads the Big Ten with 14 goals, one ahead of Purdue’s Jaiden Anderson as the only other double-digit goal scorer in the conference. Anderson actually leads the conference in points (32), one ahead of Schlueter, which is 10 points ahead of Kennedy Bell’s (MSU) third-place spot. Which of these dynamic forwards will put their team in a position to come away with a win?

The other key team to keep an eye on this weekend? No. 5 Michigan State. The Spartans will look to put last week’s upset loss to Purdue in the rearview mirror and keep pace with the top four teams when they face Indiana on Friday. See the full weekend schedule here.