March 26, 2011
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Four Boilermakers scored a goal Saturday to lead Purdue women's soccer to a 4-1 spring-game victory against Valparaiso indoors at the Mollenkopf Athletic Center.
The Boilermakers received goals from Lauren Montenegro, Kaitlyn Blacha, Lauren Varnau and Rachael Kimack. After posting victories against Butler (4-2) and Vanderbilt (1-0) last month, Purdue improved to 3-0 this spring.
The first goal was scored by Lauren Montenegro with 20 minutes left in the first half. With much confusion in the goal box, Montenegro came out at the top of the box with a low corner shot past goalkeeper Kristen Manski of Valparaiso.
The game went to halftime with Purdue leading, 1-0. Valparaiso came back in the second half with a goal from Luisa Desario and an assist from Lauren Gagnon. Gagnon passed the ball up the center passed the Purdue defensive line, and the speed of Desario came out as she rushed past the defensive line to retrieve the ball. With a low shot in the center of the goal on Purdue goalkeeper Yana Lyon, the Crusaders tied the game with a score of 1-1. Once the score was tied up, the game became physical with many fouls called and free kicks awarded for both teams.
The Boilermakers came back with fury and regained the lead thanks to a set piece. Brookley Rogers took the free kick and after a few deflections by Shae Desmond and the Valparaiso defense, the ball deflected to Lauren Varnau. She set the ball and took a shot, which led to a rebound off the Crusaders' goalkeeper. Varnau rushed into the goal box, sliding against a Valparaiso defender and was able to score for the Boilermakers.
Kaitlyn Blacha had many goal scoring opportunities and successfully converted on one into the lower left corner of the goal with an assist from Varnau, extending Purdue's lead to 3-1. A few minutes after the restart, Rachael Kimack was able to score from about 25 yards out from the goal. Kimack was able to intercept a poor pass between two Valparaiso defenders and capitalize on her scoring opportunity.
The Boilermakers demonstrated great speed and ball control skills throughout the game. There were several corner kicks for Purdue, which led many goal scoring opportunities. Jessica Warren and Kellie Phillips set up a majority of the corners allowing Mollie Kuramoto and Montenegro to get a few headers shots on goal.
Purdue returns to action next Saturday (April 2) when the team travels to Terre Haute, Ind., to take on Indiana State (10:20 a.m.) and IUPUI (1 p.m.).