| Katie Schoepfer scored the second goal in Penn State's victory over Purdue. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; October 6, 2006- Using a goal in each half, the No. 13 Penn State women's soccer team earned a 2-0 shutout at Purdue in Big Ten action. The eight-time defending Big Ten champion Lions raise their record in conference to 4-1 (8-3-2 overall), while Purdue goes to 3-2 in Big Ten play (10-3-2 overall). Junior striker Aubrey Aden-Buie (Allentown, Pa.) scored the game-winner for the Lions in the 23rd minute.
??I think our performance tonight reflected a complete team effort the whole 90 minutes and that was the direct key to our success,?? said head coach Paula Wilkins. ??In a place (Purdue) that??s been very difficult for us to come to, everyone played a role from the bench to the starters and the result was a favorable one because of our cohesiveness.??
The Lions dominated the early going with 13 shots in the first half to the Boilers?? one. Aden-Buie, Penn State??s leading scorer, broke away beating Purdue??s keeper Lauren Mason to the net for the goal at 22:35. Penn State held the 1-0 lead into halftime.
Penn State continued its pressure in the second half, with Aden-Buie crossing it to Katie Schoepfer (Waterford, Conn.) in the box. Schoepfer then split her defenders for the insurance goal at 66:30. The Nittany Lions kept the 2-0 advantage through the rest of the game, earning their fourth shutout of the year and the second in conference play.
The Lions tallied 18 shots for the game to Purdue??s six. Corner kicks were also in Penn State??s favor by a 3-2 margin. Freshman goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.) made one save in the win, while Mason totaled eight in the loss.
The 13th-ranked Lions head to Bloomington to take on Indiana on Sunday, Oct. 8 at noon. Penn State then returns home for a 7 p.m. kick-off on Friday, Oct. 13 at Jeffrey Field vs. Minnesota. The game is the first of four at home that will round-out the Lions?? Big Ten home season.
After a non-conference meeting with Navy, Penn State will host the 2006 Big Ten women??s soccer tournament on Nov. 2-5. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, go to www.GoPSUsports.com