Oct. 10, 2010
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ST. PAUL, Minn. - After Purdue women's soccer had an advantage in quality scoring chances in the first half, 16th-ranked Minnesota scored twice in less than a minute on two occasions in the second half to pull away and defeat the Boilermakers, 4-1, Sunday afternoon.
Katie Leinert scored Purdue's goal in the 87th minute, her fourth goal of the season and eighth career. Liz Secue helped setup the score with a right-to-left cross that put Leinert in position to finish from the heart of the 18-yard box inside the left post.
Minnesota's Angie Olson and Shari Eckstrom scored 33 seconds apart in the 63rd minute to give their team the lead. A little over 20 minutes later, Katie Bethke and Molly Rouse scored 58 seconds apart to blow the game open.
Purdue (6-8-2, 2-3-1 Big Ten) enjoyed a 5-1 edge in corner kicks in the first half, but Minnesota (10-2-2, 2-1-1 Big Ten) posted an 8-1 advantage in corners in the second half. The first of the Golden Gophers' four goals was scored following a corner kick.
"The game got off to a really good start," Purdue head coach Robert Klatte said. "Our team lined up with several of the players we got back Thursday versus Indiana. I thought attacking wise we did a good job and stifled a very potent Minnesota offense over the first 45 minutes. But we were unable to put the ball in the back of the net against Cat Parkhill, who certainly came up with several key saves. We didn't take advantage and have the killer instinct. We came to rue those missed chances in the second half because Minnesota came out and doubled their efforts."
Olson scored the game's first goal at the beginning of the 63rd minute when she knocked home a deflected corner kick at the right post. Just 33 seconds later, Eckstrom scored the most impressive goal of the day with a one-touch shot in the heart of the 18-yard box following a left-to-right cross from the east sideline.
Bethke lobbed a shot from the top of the 18-yard box over the head of Purdue goalkeeper Clara Kridler, who had replaced starter Carianne Betts in the 68th minute, to give Minnesota a 3-0 lead in the 85th minute. Fifty-eight seconds later, Rouse also scored from the top of the box with a ground shot.
Betts and Kridler each finished with one save apiece. Brookley Rogers also accounted for a team save in the final seconds of the first half to keep the game scoreless as the teams headed to the locker room. Kridler accounted for the finest save of the game when she stopped a one-touch shot by Olson at point blank range less than a minute after entering the game.
Minnesota goalkeeper Cat Parkhill finished with six saves, making four in the first half to keep Purdue off the scoreboard. Three of those saves were of the high-quality variety.
In the fourth minute, Parkhill dove to her left to knock down a shot by Shae Desmond at the right post. She appeared to hit the back of her head on the post after making the save. After the rebound went out of bounds, Minnesota was able to clear the subsequent corner kick.
In the 24th minute, Parkhill punched a left-footed rising blast by Alexis Tryba from 30 yards out over the crossbar, leading to another Purdue corner.
In the 28th minute, Jessica Warren forced Parkhill to make a save above her head with a shot from the right flank. After deflecting the ball straight up in the air, it came right back down to the Minnesota goalkeeper.
In the final 20 seconds of the first half, Minnesota served a free kick from midfield into the heart of the 18-yard box. Betts made an initial save and Rogers knocked down the ensuing shot on the goal line.
Tayler Francel, Lauren Montenegro, Rogers and Secue went the distance among the Purdue field players. Jordan Frick logged 57 minutes to lead the reserves.
Purdue returns to action Thursday for a 7 p.m. game at Michigan.