Sept. 2, 2005
By Dan Taylor
Purdue Sports Information
AMES, Iowa - Thirty-five minutes into Friday's afternoon practice, Purdue head coach Rob Klatte stopped action and told his Boilermakers he had good news and bad news.
The bad news was they had gone through half of practice without scoring. The good news was they had a few more minutes to correct their ineffectiveness.
Purdue responded to Klatte's practice challenge with a few scores, but the lack of concentration that plagued it earlier returned during Friday night's match against the Iowa State Cyclones, falling 1-0. Iowa State's score was its first of this season through three matches.
The Cyclones broke their scoreless streak in the 77th minute after Meghan Smith connected with Stephanie Kaphingst, who booted the ball into the upper left corner. Purdue goalkeeper Lauren Mason, who completed the contest with five saves, was caught out of position as the Cyclones punched their passes like a pinball.
The 1-0 loss was Purdue's second in three games this year, and their sixth dating back to last season. Purdue's road record dating back to 2004 is 1-9-0.
The Boilermaker offense, which had posted over 20 shots during its previous two matches, was limited to 16, six of which were on goal. Iowa State finished with 19 shots, seven on goal.
Purdue was dominated by Iowa State in the first period, outshot 10-6. Early on, it appeared the Boilermakers were on their way to another 20-plus shot performance, but the Cyclones' defense took over after the first five minutes.
While Purdue struggled to find close-range opportunities, Iowa State received numerous chances in the goal box, but was failing to ignite the scoreboard. The Cyclones' best attempt was a shot by Hannah Swanbom that rattled the crossbar and was hooked off the line by Mason for one of her four first-half saves. Iowa State then received back-to-back corner kicks; the first was headed over the end line, leading to a second threat that ended on a wide shot by Kate Kirwin.
Mason later made a top-notch save on a breakaway by Renee de St. Aubin. The junior goalkeeper left the net to swipe the ball away as Aubin entered the goal box.
The second period was a repeat of the first, with Purdue receiving few scoring opportunities. Purdue's best chance to score was a Lauren Sesselmann header off a Kim Comisar corner kick, which was saved by a Cyclone defender at the goal line.
The Boilermakers were 0-for-8 in corner kick chances, and Iowa State failed to convert on any of its seven.
Cyclone goalkeeper Joanna Haig earned the complete game shutout on five saves.
Purdue completes its Big Ten/Big 12 series Sunday with a 1 p.m. match at Missouri. The Boilermakers lead its all-time series with the Tigers, 2-1.