Sept. 28, 2007
No. 11 Purdue extended the longest winning streak in program history to a ninth match as it blanked Wisconsin 4-0 Friday at the Varsity Soccer Complex in both teams' Big Ten opener. Senior midfielder Shauna Stapleton led the Boilermakers on offense, scoring four points on one goal and two assists.
The win improved Purdue's record to 9-1-1 (1-0 Big Ten), while the Badgers dropped to 3-4-1 (0-1 Big Ten). The Boilermakers are now 8-1 in Big Ten conference openers and 7-3-1 all-time against Wisconsin.
Boilermaker head coach Rob Klatte warned the team during postgame comments about letting hubris set in following a convincing victory, but truly does not believe the club suffers from overconfidence.
"I see enthusiasm and drive within these players," said Klatte. "Before I got into the locker room at halftime, they wrote on the board, 'We are playing with heart' - which tells me they know how to respond to a challenge and want to win."
Stapleton played a role in the first three goals, as she increased her team-leading point total to 16 on six goals and six assists
The Boilermakers converted a Stapleton corner kick into a score less than two minutes after the opening whistle. Freshman defender Jessica Stellhorn flicked in a header far post off Stapleton's boot from the left corner.
Stellhorn's goal, which held up as the game-winner, was the first of her collegiate career.
The Boilermakers scored twice more in the first half on goals from Stapleton in the 27th minute and junior forward Jessica Okoroafo in the 36th minute.
Okoroafo scored her first goal of the season from inside the six after receiving a forward pass from Stapleton, who tracked the ball down at midfield after it deflected off a Wisconsin defensive back. Okoroafo lured Badger goalkeeper Jamie Klages off her line near the top of the goal box before nailing a diagonal from right to left across the face of the goal.
Stapleton's goal came off a beautiful play that was setup by sophomore Loredana Riverso.
Riverso ran the ball down the right side before dropping it back from the endline into the middle of the goal box. Stapleton tucked the ball past a diving Klages just inside the near post.
"Our goal in the second minute made a huge impact," said Klatte. "Wisconsin was now playing off its back foot and we went for the throat. We utilized our experience and depth to organize our defense and create and convert chances on offense. It was a good performance and everything happened the way we wanted it to."
The Boilermaker defense was once again resolute as they only allowed four total shots and two on goal en route to their seventh shutout of the season. Jenny Bradfisch and Carianne Betts both recorded one save, each of which played a major role in preserving the shutout.
Bradfisch made a diving save to her right off of a Krista Liskevych free kick in the 59th minute for her lone interception. In the 87th minute, Betts deflected back a point-blank shot from Liskevych following a Badgers' corner kick.
The Boilermakers tacked on one last insurance goal in the 67th minute when Riverso pushed across her fifth goal of the season off an assist by Okoroafo. Riverso has now scored at least one goal over the last three matches.
Purdue looks to finish its perfect homestand at 7-0 when it playes host to Northwestern Sunday at 1 p.m.
"We have to be prepared for Northwestern; the Wildcats are a big, strong and athletic team," said Klatte. "There's never an easy win in the Big Ten because the other team always wants to keep playing. You have to outwork your opponent to be successful."
Notes
Jessica Okoroafo's goal was the 19th of her career and first since sending in the game-tying score vs. Ohio State at the 2006 Big Ten Tournament ... Shauna Stapleton's two-assist effort was her second in as many games; she is the first Boilermaker to post four assists in two matches since Annette Kent did it against DePaul and Western Michigan on Nov. 14 and 16, 2003 ... with one goal and two assists, Stapleton recorded her second four-point match of the season; she last did it at Washington on Sept. 7 ... Purdue also beat Wisconsin last year 4-0, marking the first time in program history the Boilermakers defeated a Big Ten opponent by two or more goals in consecutive seasons ... the Boilermakers improved to 7-3-1 all-time vs. the Badgers ... the four-goal margin of victory tied a Purdue record against conference opponents: again, they beat the Badgers by the same score in 2006, and whipped Michigan State at home 5-1 in 2005 ... Purdue has scored three or more goals over the last six matches and in eight of 11 contests in 2007 ... the Boilermakers' last five shutouts have been combined efforts from Jenny Bradfisch and Carianne Betts ... with a goal today, Loredana Riverso has scored in three-straight games; Jennie Moppert and Stapleton share the Purdue record for most consecutive matches with a goal at four ... Riverso is second on the team with 13 points on five goals and three assists ... Purdue's shot on goal percentage after Friday is .476; 105 points higher that what they finished with in 2006.