While most women's soccer followers tend to focus on action in the perennially-powerful Atlantic Coast Conference and Pac-10, there are lots of interesting races also happening in the rest of the country as teams are starting to stand out in conference play.

Minnesota remains as the lone unbeaten team in the Big Ten after knocking off then-No. 9 Purdue, 1-0, over the weekend, handing the Boilermakers their first home loss of the season.  Purdue was unbeaten since Sept. 13, but Minnesota's Molly Rouse (pictured left) tallied a first-half goal, and Gopher defense held the Boilermakers to just four shots in the contest as the program picked up its second win over a Top 10 opponent.

The win is the third consecutive for the Gophers, and extends their unbeaten streak to seven games dating back to mid-September. At 3-0-1 in the Big Ten, Minnesota is tied for first place in the Big Ten standings with Wisconsin, but the Badgers have a loss to the Gophers on their record.

Minnesota will host two key league match-ups this weekend as the Gophers tangle with fellow 2008 Big Ten defending champion Penn State on Oct. 16, and then welcome nationally-ranked Ohio State on Oct. 18.

In the Big 12 Conference, Missouri topped a pair of conference foes as the Tigers stayed the only unbeaten squad in league play.  The Tigers first edged league-leading Colorado, 1-0, in overtime, and followed it up with a 2-1 defeat of Texas Tech as they improved to 3-0-2 against conference foes. 

Senior goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore became the school's all-time leader in shutouts (15) with her clean sheet against the Buffs.  None of the five remaining Big 12 teams on Missouri's schedule have a winning record in conference play.  The Tigers' stretch starts at Baylor (2-2-2) on Oct. 16.

Dayton managed a win and a tie in Atlantic 10 action last week as the Flyers stretched their season-opening unbeaten streak to 14 games (9-0-5).  The Flyers battled to a 0-0 tie against Charlotte after both squads entered the contest with 4-0-0 marks.  Dayton followed it up with a 2-1 win over Saint Louis to remain in a tie for first place with Charlotte in the A-10 standings.

Dayton has shut out 10 of their 14 opponents this season, and is just one of three teams in the nation (Stanford, South Carolina) without a loss.  The Flyers head to St. Bonaventure (Oct. 16) and Duquense (Oct. 18) as they look to stay unbeaten in league play this weekend.