Aug. 21, 2011
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - No. 13 West Virginia scored late in the first half and tacked on a pair of insurance goals in the final 11 minutes of the game, defeating Purdue women's soccer, 3-0, Sunday afternoon.The Boilermakers (1-1) were shutout for the first time since Oct. 2, 2010 at Michigan State, ending a streak of seven consecutive games with at least one goal.
Blake Miller gave the Mountaineers (1-1) a halftime lead when she scored in the 41st minute. After Purdue had initially cleared the ball to midfield, WVU booted it back the other direction and Miller took advantage of a misplay on the Boilers' back line. She gained possession on the left flank and scored with a ground shot left to right across the box into the bottom right corner.
Katie Leinert had Purdue's best scoring chance, nearly recording an equalizer in the 67th minute. Alex Hairston played a left-to-right through ball to Leinert near the top of the 18-yard box. West Virginia goalkeeper Sara Keane was able to get a piece of the shot with a sprawling save, deflecting the ball wide left for a Purdue corner.
The Mountaineers successfully cleared the ensuing corner and sealed the victory with goals in the 80th and 83rd minutes. Both teams had only two corner kick opportunities in the match.
West Virginia's Mallory Smith made it a 2-0 game when she deflected in a free kick, redirecting the ball inside the left post after a long serve from the east sideline. Bri Rodriguez scored the most impressive goal of the game three minutes later when she one-timed a left-to-right cross from Emily Dillon into the top left corner of the net.
Purdue goalkeeper Clara Kridler finished with six saves, four coming in the second half. Her top stop was in the 78th minute when she made a quick lunging save on a point blank opportunity for Kate Schwindel.
Center backs Brookley Rogers and Jessica Warren were the lone field players to go the distance for Purdue. Taylor Niewoit logged 42 minutes to lead the reserves. Head coach Robert Klatte substituted more frequently Sunday due in part to West Virginia's boot and chase style and the larger field dimensions at the Dirk Dlesk Soccer Complex.
Laura McCalla started at forward Sunday, making her regular-season Purdue debut. Rachael Kimack, Jennifer Stoot and goalkeeper Yana Lyon were the other Boilers that made their season debuts Sunday.
Despite suffering the loss, Purdue was able to split their challenging season-opening weekend road trip against divisional preseason favorites from the Mid-American and Big East Conferences. The Boilermakers were a 1-0 winner at Toledo Friday.
The Boilermakers return to action Friday for their home opener against No. 19 Oregon State. Kickoff at the Varsity Soccer Complex is set for 5:30 p.m.