Aug. 27, 2006
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Two days removed from its 4-1 thumping of Western Kentucky, Purdue received a taste of its own medicine Sunday, dropping a 4-0 decision to San Diego State in the Boilermaker Challenge Cup championship match.
Erika Sutton, who received Challenge Cup Offensive MVP honors, led SDSU with a pair of goals coming in the 30th and 85th minutes. Defensive MVP honors were presented to Sutton's teammate Lauren Leslie.
Purdue placed seven of its 14 shots on goal, but couldn't get anything past Aztec goalkeeper Cat Burson, who pitched two shutouts this weekend including Friday's 2-0 win over Butler.
Burson finished Sunday's match with six saves, while her Boilermaker counterpart Lauren Mason made five.
"I know we have a good side - we saw it Friday," said head coach Rob Klatte. "I know we can score goals and we were creating chances early in the first half. But we weren't getting much of a defensive effort in our midfield and that allowed us to get stretched out. We made some bad choices and gave them too much time and space."
Also scoring for the Aztec's were Heather Vandevanter in the 17th minute on an assist from Sutton, and Jen Mello who gave SDSU a 3-0 halftime lead with her score in the 42nd minute.
The home loss was Purdue's worst since losing 5-0 to Penn State on Sept. 24, 1999. Until Sunday, the Boilermakers had not allowed more than two goals at the Varsity Soccer complex since giving up six to Iowa (3-6) on Oct. 15, 1999.
San Diego State's win gave the state of California its second-consectuive Boilermaker Challenge Cup trophy; Cal Poly won the 2005 cup after dispatching Detroit, 3-0.
"They (SDSU) were commited to closing space, they were very intense," said Klatte. "If they're able to play that way on a consistent basis, they are going to have a great season."
Purdue has plenty of opportunities to rebound from this loss With 18 matches still left on the schedule. The Boilermakers get back on the pitch Tuesday in Cincinnati for a 7:30 p.m. game against the Bearcats.
Third-Place Match
Butler 2, Western Kentucky 0
All-Tourament Team
San Diego State: Cat Burson, Erika Sutton, Mariko Strickland, Jessica Girdner, Millie Allen
Purdue: Jordyn Shaffer, Rebecca Robison, Jill Sarbaugh
Butler: Julie Backsheider, Jenny Southard
Western Kentucky: Lindsey Passagli
Offensive MVP: Erika Sutton SDSU
Defensive MVP: Lauren Leslie SDSU