Sept. 23, 2012
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa women’s soccer team won its second Big Ten match of the weekend and improved its record to 11-1-0 Sunday afternoon at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The Hawkeyes defeated Purdue (6-4-1, 1-2-0), 3-2.
Iowa took control of the match and cruised to a 3-1 advantage before surrendering an own goal with 11 seconds left. Sophomore Katie Nasenbenny (14′), junior Alex Melin (63′) and senior Dana Dalrymple (77′) scored goals for the Hawkeyes, while freshman Meg Goodson improved her record to 5-1-0 at goalkeeper.
Iowa stayed perfect at the Iowa Soccer Complex, improving its home record to 6-0-0. The Hawkeyes were coming off a 1-0 victory over Indiana Friday night. Iowa’s win over Purdue marked the fifth time in program history the Hawkeyes have gone 2-0-0 in a weekend in regular season Big Ten play.
“To get a result in this league is one of the most difficult things you can do, so to get two in one weekend is great,” said Iowa head coach Ron Rainey. “We talked about trying to get the next goal after our first following Friday’s match, and today we were able to get a second and a game-winning third goal to keep us in front of a good Purdue team.”
For the 10th time this season, the Hawkeyes held their opponent scoreless in the first half, as Iowa went into the break with a 1-0 advantage. Nasenbenny and the Hawkeyes found net in the 14th minute, as Dalrymple made a great pass to Nasenbenny, who dribbled into the box and behind the Purdue backline to score from six yards out. The LeGrange, Ill., native has four goals this season.
The Hawkeye defense held Purdue to just one shot on target in the first half, but the Boilermaker’s lone shot on goal required a brilliant save from Goodson in the 40th minute. Goodson played the first half for Iowa and took the win in goal. She tallied one save while holding Purdue scoreless in the first half. Goodson improved her save percentage to .879.
Iowa outshot Purdue 7-5 in the opening frame. The Hawkeyes have led at halftime in all but one contest this season. The Hawkeyes have outscored their opponents 19-2 in the first period.
The Boilermakers, who were coming off a 2-1 victory over Nebraska, scored the equalizer in the 59th minute. Freshman goalkeeper Hannah Clark saved a shot from Nicole Hivley, but junior forward Hadley Stuart scored on a rebound goal from inside the six-yard box.
Iowa would come storming back, reclaiming the lead in the 63rd minute and scoring the game-winner in the 77th minute. After a Purdue foul, sophomore Melanie Pickert’s free kick was headed home by Melin from eight yards out. Melin’s header brushed the crossbar and dropped in to beat Purdue goalkeeper Clara Kridler.
With less than 13 minutes remaining in the contest, junior Ashley Catrell played a thru ball perfectly to Dalrymple, who would beat the Purdue defender marking her to score her fifth goal of the season.
The Hawkeyes outshot Purdue, 9-5, in the final period and closed the match with a 16-10 advantage in shots and a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal. Catrell, Dalrymple and sophomore Nicole Urban each had three shots to lead Iowa’s offense. Clark registered two saves in the second period.
Iowa has outscored their opponents 35-7 this season, while holding a 106-65 advantage in shots on goal. For the third straight season, the Hawkeyes haven’t allowed an opponent to score more than two goals in a match through their first 11 contests.
“I’m excited for the team after this win, and now we need to have a good week of preparation to be ready for another pair of good Big Ten opponents,” said Rainey.
The Hawkeyes return to action on Friday, kicking off a three-match Big Ten road streak. Iowa’s trip will begin with Michigan (9-2-0, 3-0-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. (CT). The match will be streamed live on BTN.com.