Oct. 15, 2006
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - It's not likely Purdue had vengeance on its mind when it faced Wisconsin Sunday afternoon. But you wouldn't be able to tell that from the final score - a 4-0 win for the Old Gold and Black.
Purdue last faced Wisconsin in the first round of the 2005 Big Ten Tournament and were sent packing following a 3-0 loss, as the Badgers' Amy Vermeulen posted a hat trick.
Sunday's victory lifted the Boilermakers' overall record to 12-3-2 and 5-2 in the Big Ten, virtually ensuring them a spot in both the conference and NCAA Tournaments with three matches left to play. The loss dropped Wisconsin to 6-6-3 and 3-4-1 in the Big Ten.
Purdue's first two goals were scored by freshmen Loredana Riverso and Katie Becker. Riverso scored her goal in the fourth minute after dribbling the ball along the far endline before blasting it past goalkeeper Lynn Murray inside the six-yard box.
Becker scored her's in the closing minutes of the first half. Redshirt freshman Sylvia Forbes headed the ball down to Becker inside the goalmouth, from where she took two shots. Her first was stopped by a Badger defender but took another hack to give Purdue a 2-0 lead.
Parrissa Eyorokon scored her team leading eighth goal of the season in the 49th minute. Jordyn Shaffer helped created a turnover inside the Wisconsin end and blooped the ball in Eyorokon's direction as she raced down the far side. Eyorokon beat her defender and took the ball right to the goal, blasting a sharp diagonal that whizzed past Murray across the face of the net.
Kalie Grambeau wrapped the Boilermakers' scoring run in the 82nd minute by being in the right place at the right time. Jill Sarbaugh initiated the fourth and final goal, moving down the endline and into the 18-yard box before crossing it over to Forbes standing near post.
The pass hit off Forbes and another Wisconsin defender before landing at the feet of Grambeau, who was standing about 15 yards back. Grambeau's shot was perfect as it hammered back the middle of the net.
The Boilermakers' convincing lead allowed head coach Rob Klatte to play his entire roster, including senior Kristin Lichtenberg, who was recently cleared to play earlier this week after suffering a summertime injury. Also receiving some time on the pitch was backup goalkeeper Jenny Bradfisch, who played the final 3:30 of the match.
Lauren Mason started the match for Purdue in between the pipes and tied a personal best with 10 saves. Mason last made 10 saves in a 3-1 home win over Illinois in 2005.
Both teams launched 20 shots, with the obvious difference being Purdue had better looks at the net. Wisconsin also had seven corner kick opportunities that were cleared out by the Boilermaker defense.
Purdue set a team record Sunday with its 11th shutout of the season, beating the previous mark of 10 set in 2002. The team's 4-0 margin of victory was its best over a conference opponent since beating Michigan State 5-1 at home in 2005.
The Boilermakers hit the road next weekend, playing at Illinois Friday night and at Iowa Sunday afternoon. The WLAS 1410-AM radio tandem of Mark Leddy and Andrew Staley will broadcast the Illinois match live from Champaign starting at 7:50 p.m. EDT.