Aug. 25, 2000
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's soccer team captured its first win of the season today with a 3-0 victory over DePaul. It was the first season-opening win in the three-year history of the Boilermaker program.
"We're really excited to start off the season with a win," Purdue coach Rob Klatte said. "With the tough schedule we have ahead of us, it was really important to play well and get a win today."
Purdue lined up on the attack with six players clinging to the midfield line. From the kick, sophomore tri-captain Chrissy Creamer took the ball straight to the goal and missed on a shot fired just wide of the net. On the Boilermaker's next possession, freshman forward Annette Kent took a hard shot that narrowly bounced off the crossbar.
Purdue continued its aggressive attack against DePaul throughout the first half but came up empty on the scoreboard despite outshooting the Blue Demons 12-2
During the second half of the match, the Boilermakers continued to control the ball. Right away the Purdue offense took control and produced a number of scoring opportunities, and at the 58:38 mark, sophomore Elise Berry broke the deadlock with an unassisted goal. Purdue's second goal took place at the 73:59 mark with a score by Kent, assisted by freshman Courtney Coppedge. The Boilermaker's final score came at 83:15, when freshman Emily Whetter drove a shot straight down the center, just above DePaul goalkeeper Lauren Geiger's head.
Purdue's defense, anchored by junior goalkeeper Liz Boldt, engineered the seventh shutout in Purdue history.
"I was really pleased with the paly of Tari St. John and Katie Davis," Klatte said. "They came in in the first half and really increased our team's work rate and aggressiveness. And Annette was dangerous. She did just what we wanted here to do.
"Above all, I think we had a terrific fan turnout for a Friday match," Klatte said. "It really makes the girls feel good and raises their self-esteem to realize that they have a community behind them. This type of fan support really helps us play our best and I hope it continues for the rest of the season." coach Klatte said.
Purdue will next face No. 25 Missouri in Columbia, Mo., on Sunday, August 27, at 1 p.m.
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