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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 28, ISSUE 1 69 BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com A s part of Drew Roff's effort to get his Boilermakers to take a big step forward in his third season as their soccer coach, he brought in a dozen freshmen, a total that makes up almost half Purdue's roster. But it's unlikely those 12 will have the biggest impact on whether the Boilermakers win or lose in 2017. Instead, Purdue's five seniors will likely bear that weight. Roff challenged the group, including his four captains — fifth-year senior Maddy Williams, who returns after missing '16 with a knee injury, and longtime starters Andrea Petrina, a midfielder, defender Vanessa Korolas and goalkeeper Erika Yohn — to lead an otherwise young squad. "It was a bit of a void in our program that we thought we could make a lot of improvement," Roff said, "and we really committed to putting together our core values and explaining to players the certain standards of behavior we want to meet on a daily basis. They've been responsible for coming up with those ideas and putting them in writing. "… They're very instrumental in developing those, and I can honestly say over the last six months, we've done extremely well in the classroom, had some success on the soccer field in our spring games, and the cama- raderie and chemistry is fantastic. I told them in the spring, 'I really be- lieve you guys are going to be the group that gets us to where we want Free At Folk Soccer fans can watch the Boilermakers this season for free at Folk Field. Purdue expanded the promotion this season, after allowing students free attendance last year. Coach Drew Roff is excited to see crowds expand. "We've always had great support here, but we feel that can up our atten- dance a little bit," the third-year coach said. "I think like anything, people get excited when a team gets on a roll, so I think really the next step is start off strong. "… If we can get some positive results and score some goals and have some fun out here, I think that word will spread and by the time Big Ten seasons rolls around, attendance numbers will be the best they've been in a long time." — Kyle Charters The Right Mix Soccer team thinks seniors, freshmen can carry Purdue to turnaround Photos by Purdue Athletics Purdue's seniors, including captains Andrea Petrina, Maddy Williams and Vanessa Korolas (left to right), will have a big say in whether the Boilermakers can have a bounce-back season in 2017.