Sept. 24, 2006
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - No. 25 Purdue improved its record to 9-1-2 and 2-0 in the Big Ten following a 1-0 overtime win over Minnesota (6-3-1, 0-2) Sunday afternoon at the Varsity Soccer Complex. The game-winner was delivered by Parrissa Eyorokon in the 91st minute.
The match's lone score was initiated by Shauna Stapleton, who fed the ball to Jill Sarbaugh across the midfield stripe. Sarbaugh raced the ball down the near sideline and through the legs of a defender before slotting the ball to Eyorokon inside the six-yard box.
Eyorokon's first shot was deflected, but she grabbed the ensuing rebound and pushed it under the arms of Golden Gophers' goalkeeper Chelsey Turner. Eyorokon's goal was her team-best sixth of the season and her fourth game-winner.
Eyorokon officially receives credit for the game-winner, but the match was largely decided by the play of Purdue's defense. The Boilermakers limited Minnesota to just six shots and two on goal; however, that didn't stop the Golden Gophers from keeping the pressure on goalkeeper Lauren Mason through much of the second half.
Mason twice left the net to stuff attempts by Elena Fruci and Lindsey Schwartz, then punched out a face-high bouncer with two Gopher attackers in her face. Her toughest save was a diving catch of a Fruci header that was angled towards the low corner.
In one instance, Mason found herself out of position after colliding with Kelsey Hood in the 39th minute, but defensive midfielder Jordyn Shaffer headed back a Gopher shot taken with a wide-open net a few feet behind her.
The Boilermakers caught a major break midway through the second half when Fruci missed a open shot after beating both Mason and defensive back Kira Bilecky.
Overall, Bilecky had an outstanding match, especially when it came to helping clear out Minnesota's seven corner kicks. At 5-7, Bilecky consistently rose above the Gophers before they could do anything with the services.
The Purdue offense rattled off 22 shots but put only six on target. Eyorokon led all attackers with seven attempts.
Sunday's overtime win was only the fourth in program history (not including postseason) and the team's first since beating Northwestern on the road, 2-1, on Nov. 16, 2005. Purdue's overall overtime record is 5-6-14, including 1-0-2 this season.
Purdue also extended its winning streak against the Gophers to six as Minnesota hasn't beaten Purdue since the 2000 season. The Boilermakers' longest winning streak against a conference opponent is seven against Indiana from 2000 through 2004.
The Boilermakers hit the road this weekend, traveling to Michigan on Friday and Michigan State on Sunday. Purdue swept both teams in the same weekend last season for the first time in program history.