Sept. 10, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's soccer team fell to the Hofstra Pride 3-1 Friday afternoon at the Varsity Soccer Complex.
"We ran into a very motivated, hardworking, and talented Hofstra team," head coach Robert Klatte said. "They dominated play and they were the better team today. We had some touches go awry today and when that happens you aren't going to like the results. I take my hat off to Hofstra, they are the best team we have seen all season."
Hofstra (3-1) came out of the gate very physical and aggressive. In the fourth minute, Laura Greene got past the Boilermaker defense and had a one-on-one opportunity against Purdue goal keeper Carianne Betts. Green fired a shot from the right side of the penalty box, but Betts was up to the task making a diving save.
Purdue (3-3-1) came right back in the 12th minute when Lauren Montenegro made a nice move to get by her defender on the left side of the field. She played a perfect cross to Katie Leinert at the top of the 18-yard box. Leinert ripped a shot over the Hofstra keeper's head and off the crossbar before it was cleared away by the Pride defense.
Hofstra controlled possession for most of the first half with their physical style of play and outshot Purdue 6-4 including two on goal compared to zero for the Boilermakers. The Pride came out of halftime with a similar mindset. They came right at Purdue with an aggressive attack and forced some key turnovers deep in the Boilermaker third. Their aggressiveness finally paid off in the 54th minute.
The Pride stole a pass near midfield and started an attack up the right side. Greene sent a through ball to Tiffany Yovino on the right side of the penalty box. Yovino took the pass in stride and blasted a shot off the left goal post and into the back of the net to break the scoreless tie.
Yovino's goal sparked Hofstra's offense as it continued to put pressure on Purdue. In the 66th minute, a blocked shot found Salma Tarik wide open on the right side of the 18-yard box. Tarik took a quick shot from six yards out across the goal which found the lower left corner of the net. The goal was her third of the season, but she was not done yet.
In the 71st minute, Hofstra's aggressive attack paid off again. Tarik stole the ball from the back line of the Purdue defense inside the penalty box and the chase was on. She took the ball to the right side of the goal. From there, she took a similar shot to her previous goal and again found the back of the net to give the Pride a 3-0 lead.
The Boilermaker offense finally broke through in the 78th minute. Brookley Rogers found Leinert at the top of the 18. This time Leinert, who hit the crossbar earlier in the game, fired a shot that beat Hofstra keeper Krista Thorn to the right side of the goal for the Boilermakers' lone tally of the contest. The goal was the first of the year for the Wildwood, Mo., native.
"We are going to have to go forward from today and regroup for Sunday's game," Klatte said. "We need to focus better than we did today and prepare ourselves mentally for the challenge that awaits us."
Purdue dropped to 2-2-1 in home games this season. The loss also gives Hofstra a 1-0 series advantage.
The Boilermakers return to action Sunday when they host seventh-ranked Texas A&M. Kickoff from the Varsity Soccer Complex is scheduled for Noon ET. Live results and a live radio broadcast can be found at purduesports.com.