IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Iowa ended its lengthy scoring drought in the third minute and the early goal held up as the Hawkeyes defeated Purdue women's soccer 1-0 Friday.
The Boilermakers (3-8, 1-4 B1G) were shut out for the fifth time their last seven games. However, Friday's result was Purdue's first 1-0 defeat of the year. The loss marked the third time this season the opposition scored in the opening six minutes of the contest. The Boilermakers also conceded early goals in road losses at Baylor and Dayton earlier this year.
Devin Burns scored with a shot into the left side of the net only two minutes and 13 seconds after the opening kickoff. Her third goal of the season was a byproduct of Iowa (7-6, 1-4 B1G) creating a counter attack on a goal kick. Olivia Fiegel won possession of the restart and connected a lead pass to Burns, who out battled the defender marking her to create a shooting angle on goalkeeper Jordan Ginther inside the 18-yard box.
Friday's result was unique in that a goal scored in the third minute proved to be the difference in the contest. In 2013, Purdue won a game 1-0 at Ohio State after scoring in the opening minute. A 2010 loss to USC in Fullerton, California, marked the last time an opponent's goal in the first 10 minutes was the difference in a 1-0 final. But it had been nearly a decade since a goal in the opening five minutes was the difference. The Boilermakers lost 1-0 in the semifinals of the 2006 Big Ten Tournament after Illinois scored the game's lone goal in the fourth minute.
Iowa had not scored since the second half of its non-conference finale at Colorado on Sept. 11. Burns' goal ended the scoring drought at 402 consecutive minutes. Meanwhile, Purdue's scoring drought now stands at 251 consecutive minutes.
A few highlights from tonight's Purdue-Iowa soccer game in Iowa City, won by the Hawkeyes 1-0. https://t.co/Gkx1aozxIw
-- Purdue Video 🎥 (@purduevideo) October 1, 2016
Andrea Petrina nearly scored an equalizer from 30 yards out in the 70th minute, forcing Iowa goalkeeper Claire Graves to make a leaping deflection on Petrina's floater. Graves got her hand on the ball just as it neared the crossbar. The ball remained in play and the Hawkeyes eventually cleared it.
Ginther made a similar play in the 39th minute on an Iowa free kick service from the outside edge of the 18-yard box at about only 10 yards from the end line along the left flank. Again the ball remained in play and an Iowa player missed high with a header on the rebound.
The Boilermakers also had a strong five-minute stretch early in the second half, creating four shots and three corners kicks. Dagny Olson and Vanessa Korolas both created a corner kick during that sequence. But those were Purdue's only corners of the night.
Megan Kaser and Hannah Mussallem went the distance among the Purdue field players. Dannah Williams logged 51 minutes to lead the reserves, starting the second half in her first action since Sept. 1 at West Virginia. She had missed the last five games due to injury. Brady Riley also started the second half as a reserve. Katie Bittner was the first Boilermaker off the bench Friday.
Purdue is back in action Thursday for a 7 p.m. game at No. 19 Rutgers.