Oct. 7, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's soccer team retained The Golden Boot after a 2-1 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers on Thursday at the Varsity Soccer Complex.
"Overall, I think it was a fantastic performance," Purdue head coach Robert Klatte said after the win. "We got players back. As soon as 30 minutes before we weren't sure if Liz Secue, Mollie Kuramoto or Carianne Betts were going to be able to play. All three of them passed late fitness tests and were able to find their way onto the field in the starting lineup. That boosts team morale and reduces the number of minutes overall everyone on the team has to play, which allows you a bit more energy and focus as you go through 90 minutes."
Purdue (6-7-2, 2-2-1) brought an aggressive attack from the opening kickoff. In the fourth minute, the Hoosiers were called for a foul 30 yards from the Indiana goal. Lauren Montenegro took the free kick and blasted a shot on frame, but Shannon Flower was up to the task to keep the game scoreless.
Indiana (4-9-1, 0-5) came back with an opportunity of its own in the fifth minute. Becca Zambon took advantage of a Boilermaker miscue on the back end and found an open look at the top of the 18. The freshman drove a shot toward the lower left corner of the goal, but Carianne Betts made a great diving save to keep the Hoosiers off the scoreboard.
The Boilermakers controlled play for most of the first half including a breakaway opportunity by Jessica Warren in the 16th minute. The Avon, Ind., native got around her defender and the top of the penalty box and had a one-on-one with Flowers. Warren drove right at the goalkeeper and eventually took a shot from six yards. Flowers made a great sliding save to thwart the scoring chance.
Purdue finally broke free in the 22nd minute on a blast from Kellie Phillips. The play was set up by Lauren Montenegro who made a nice move to retain possession in the attacking third of the field. The junior then found Phillips wide open 23 yards out in the middle of the field. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native rocketed a shot past a diving Flowers into the top right corner of the net. The goal was her fifth of the season.
Liz Secue tried to extend the Boilermakers lead in the 42nd minute after weaving her way open 25 yards from the goal. The senior co-captain ripped a shot towards the middle of the goal that gave Flowers a bit of trouble. The ball bounced off the Indiana goalkeeper's hands before caroming off the crossbar. Lauren Varnau was there to try to get a piece of it, but Flowers regained possession and ended the threat.
The Boilermakers took the 1-0 lead into halftime. They also outshot the Hoosiers 8-6 including a 5-3 advantage on target.
Purdue brought the same intensity into the second half that it had in the first. Betts opened the half by sending a difficult shot off the kickoff on goal. Flowers had a little bit of trouble before securing the save and clearing the ball to midfield.
The Hoosiers had an opportunity to level the score in the 55th minute when they were awarded a corner kick. Indiana played the ball short before crossing the ball to three open Hoosiers on the left side. However, the play was blown dead because the offside flag was up.
Katie Leinert extended the Purdue lead to 2-0 with a blast in the 73rd minute. The play started after Tayler Francel played a beautiful ball down the right sideline to Varnau. The Indiana defense misread the ball which created a huge opening for the junior. Varnau worked her way into the box before centering the ball to Leinert. The Wildwood, Mo., native bobbled the ball before she regained possession and fired a shot into the left side of the goal. The tally was her third of the season.
The Hoosiers were able to narrow the margin in the 79th minute off of a corner kick. Orianica Velasquez played a perfect ball in front of the goal where there was a cluster of Boilermakers and Hoosiers. Carly Samp was able to get her head on the ball and send it off the crossbar and into the back of the net to cut the score to 2-1.
Despite an intense push by Indiana in the final 10 minutes, Purdue was able to run out the clock and earn the victory. Flowers made eight saves for the Hoosiers while Betts made seven for the Boilermakers.
"It's the Golden Boot game, a match that's big on our calendar and is motivating for our players," Klatte said. "We've been blessed to be on the positive side of the results more often than not. This is simply continuing the tradition and we would like to keep the Golden Boot here in West Lafayette."
The win extends Purdue's all-time record against Indiana to 11-1-3. The Boilermakers have not lost to their instate rival since 1999 and are unbeaten in the last 14 games of the series.
The Boilermakers return to action on Sunday when they hit the road for a clash against the No. 16 Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis. Kickoff from Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. The game will be telecast live on the Big Ten Network. Live results will also be available on purduesports.com.