Aug. 28, 2004
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue won its season opener in thrilling fashion, beating the Cincinnati Bearcats, 2-1, on a last-minute goal by freshman Kristin Hetzel. The freshman from Avon, Ind. scored the unassisted goal in the 89th minute. Hetzel drilled the ball into the top of the net from 30-yards out, straight over Bearcat goalkeeper Tracy Hale. Hetzel received the ball past the top of the penalty box after a Cincinnati defender cleared out a cross from Shauna Stapleton. "Right as the ball came off her foot, I knew she got it," said head coach Rob Klatte. "The ball moved with a slight dip, and it was aimed right for the bottom of the crossbar. When their goalkeeper started backpedaling, I knew she had no chance to catch the ball." "The ball just rolled out to me, and I one touched it," said Hetzel, a defender who had reentered the second half 12 minutes earlier. "There was nothing else I could have done with the ball. It was a great shot, but I didn't know if it was going to go in, until it did." Hetzel's goal concluded an emotional second half, which saw Purdue collect team saves from freshmen Jill Sarbaugh and Stapleton. After the Bearcats knotted the match at 1-1 on a goal by Amy Farmer, the Boilermakers battled to keep their oppponents from moving ahead. Stapleton made the first team save in the 72nd minute off a Jennifer Sibert corner kick. Sibert's kick was headed down towards the net by Renee Balconi; however, Stapleton blocked the ball near the left post, allowing Purdue goalkeeper Lauren Mason to make the cover. The Bearcats launched another flurry four minutes later, but the Boilermakers again escaped unharmed, following brilliant back-to-back saves by Sarbaugh and Mason. The second shot taken by Becky Imhoff appeared ready to curl inside the left post, but Mason dived and punched the ball out of bounds. Mason played the entire second half, allowed one goal while making two saves. UC's Farmer provided the game-tying goal early in the second period after catching the sophomore keeper out of position. Bearcat senior Amy Mink, who missed all of 2003 with an injury, was credited with the assist. Purdue took its initial lead in the 33rd minute on a header by Lori Arnold. The senior from Washington, Ind., was assisted by freshman Parrissa Eyorokon, who provided a perfect cross from the left side. Senior Maureen Carey played a flawless first half for the Boilermakers, as her defensive line limited UC to four shots. Carey's lone save came off a shot from Lisa Stephens. Hale played the entire match for UC, finishing with six saves. Purdue outshot Cincinnati for the match, 19-10, and 10-4 in the first half. Arnold and Stapleton led the Boilermakers with four shots each. "It's a good start for us in that we won, but we're not playing as well as we should," said Klatte. "We're blessed to come away with the victory, but we have to play better tomorrow against New Mexico." The win allows Purdue (1-0-0) to play for the Boilermaker Challenge Cup Trophy Sunday against New Mexico at 4 p.m.; the Lobos (1-0-0) defeated the Bearcats Friday, 2-0. Cincinnati (0-2-0) clinched third place in the Challenge Cup standings with its consecutive defeats. Sunday's match can be heard locally on 1410 WLAS-AM, and via the world wide web at purduesports.com. Steve Hall (play-by-play) and Andrew Staley (color analyst) begin their broadcast at 3:50 p.m. Sunday is also Boiler Gold Rush Day at the Varsity Soccer Complex. Students can receive free admission by showing their Boiler Gold Rush card at the ticket gate. The first 50 students admitted with their BGR card will also receive a free CD case.