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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Maddy Williams and Nicole Robertson each scored a timely goal over the final five minutes and nine seconds of the game to help Purdue women's soccer rally for a 4-3 victory vs. Xavier Sunday afternoon at the Boilermaker Soccer Complex.
Williams' second goal of the day and 20th career was an equalizer in the 85th minute after the Boilers (2-0) had not scored since the 21st minute, allowing a 2-0 lead to slip away in the process. Robertson left her feet to head in a Kim Love cross just over three minutes later, scoring her first collegiate game-winning goal and second goal for Purdue overall.
The Boilermakers opened a new season 2-0 for the first time since 2012 and fifth time overall. The thrilling finish and end result certainly lightened the mood, but the Purdue players and coaches admitted afterwards there was plenty of work to do after Xavier scored three goals on only four shots Sunday.
THAT'S how you start off a season! @PurdueSoccer with two goals in the final five minutes to win 4-3! http://t.co/Wip9eg1Yrd
-- Purdue Athletics (@PurdueSports) August 23, 2015
Hannah Leinert opened the scoring in the 16th minute with her first goal as a Boilermaker and 28th as a collegiate player. Following a header off a Xavier goal kick, Leinert stole possession of the ball, dribbled up the left flank and scored inside the left post. About four and a half minutes later, Williams put Purdue up 2-0 when she fired a diagonal shot from the right side of the 18-yard box into the left side the net. The sequence began with a Melissa Casella corner kick that bounced through the 18-yard box before coming to the feet of Williams.
Xavier scored on a penalty kick in the 43rd minute to get back in the game going into halftime after the Boilers dominated possession and posted a 15-1 shot advantage in the opening 45 minutes. When Tory Doss scored twice in the first 16 minutes of the second half, the Musketeers had taken a 3-2 lead after trailing 2-0 for the second time on the weekend. Xavier was a 3-2 winner in overtime at Evansville Friday after being down 2-0 at halftime.
Purdue had five shots hit the goal framing over the course of the game, including Roberston hitting the crossbar and Williams the right post in the game's opening minute. Leinert and Williams later had shots hit the crossbar as well and Xavier goalkeeper Rachel Piccus deflected a rising blast off the foot of Christa Szalach off the bar in the 36th minute.
Gabby LaMere, who played for the Musketeers last season before transferring to Purdue, setup Williams' equalizer with a well-placed right-to-left serve to the top of the six-yard box where Williams scored with a one-touch deflection into the left side of the net. But the Boilers didn't settle for overtime after chasing for nearly 25 minutes. In the 89th minute, Love dribbled down the left flank to the end line and played a beautiful left-to-right cross in front of the net where Robertson was waiting to head home the game winner.
Nicole Robertson, Maddy Williams & head coach Drew Roff discuss the 4-3 comeback win vs. Xavier. #BoilerUp http://t.co/BqcdLgcsll
-- Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) August 23, 2015
Robertson took an inadvertent blow to the face in the 10th minute and was down on the field for a few minutes before being able to return. However, she was the first starter to be subbed out of the game about four minutes later. Love was the lone field player for Purdue to go the distance. Andrea Petrina logged 41 minutes to lead the reserves and freshman Hannah Mussallem was the first player off the bench.
Williams became the eighth player in program history to score 20 career goals. Including the five markers she scored in the two preseason exhibition games, the junior has found the back of the net nine times this month. Sunday she became the first player in program history to score four goals over the first two games of a new season as well as the fourth Boilermaker to score at least once in each of the first two games. She also joined Lauren Sesselmann (in 2005) as the only Boilers to ever record consecutive multi-goal games. Her five career multi-goals games are tied for third in the Purdue record book.
Coincidentally, the last Purdue-Xavier game also ended in a 4-3 on the first Sunday of the season two years ago. However, it was the Musketeers that were the 4-3 winner at the 2013 Boilermaker Challenge Cup after jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, despite Purdue enjoying a 34-8 edge in the shot count. Sunday, the Boilers were victorious in a game in which they conceded three goals for the fourth time in program history. But three of those four games have been since September 2013.
Purdue continues its six-game homestand Friday when it hosts Baylor on the opening day of the 15th edition of the Boilermaker Challenge Cup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The four-team tournament begins with Indiana taking on Missouri at 4 p.m. at the Boilermaker Soccer Complex.
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