Purdue Wins in Overtime at Nebraska

by Ben Turner
September 21, 2012

LINCOLN, Neb. (www.purduesports.com) – Taylor Niewoit headed in a Jordan Frick corner kick in the opening minute of the second overtime period, lifting Purdue women’s soccer to a 2-1 victory at Nebraska Friday afternoon.

The Boilermakers (6-3-1, 1-1-0 Big Ten) posted their second overtime win of the year while playing 90-plus minutes for the fifth time in 10 games this season. It was Purdue’s first overtime win on the road since November 2009 at Indiana. The five overtime games are the most since the 2009 team played in six.

Nebraska (4-5-1, 1-1 Big Ten) scored in the 25th minute Friday and the Boilers trailed at the half for the first time this season. But Alex Hairston equalized in the 51st minute with her third goal of the season and team-best ninth career.

Already without the services of Jessica Warren, Emma Lancaster and Shae Desmond, Purdue also lost senior defender Marta Lynch to a knee injury in the 22nd minute. Tayler Francel, who made her second start of the season, took Lynch’s spot at center back and Makaela Nellams joined the back row. Soraya Toppin-Herbert (64) and Nellams (80) each logged significant minutes off the bench on a day when the Boilers did not substitute often.

Purdue kicked off to start the second overtime and Niewoit dribbled through multiple defenders before playing the ball to Jordan Pawlik on the left flank. Pawlik was able to create the corner kick opportunity, which Frick played from the northwest corner of the field. She served the ball in nicely to the heart of the six-yard box where Niewoit was waiting to head the ball inside the right post for her third goal of the season and second game-winner. She joined Hairston as Boilers to score overtime game-winners this year.

Purdue held off Nebraska in the opening minutes of overtime, a stretch that saw goalkeeper Clara Kridler make two saves and the Boilers successfully defend a corner kick. She made her top save of the day during that stretch, punching a rising blast off the foot of Katie Kraeutner over the crossbar. Kridler finished with a career-high nine saves, the most by a Purdue ‘keeper since Carianne Betts stopped 10 shots in an October 2010 loss at Michigan.

Hairston moved to the center forward target position to begin the second half and was able to tie the game not long after action resumed. She broke free for a run down the right flank against a Nebraska defender. Near the top of the 18-yard box, Hairston made a nifty move to free herself from the defender. She finished the sequence with a shot into an open net as the goalkeeper tried to crash the play and eliminate the shooting angles. It was the sophomore’s first goal since scoring the golden goal in the Aug. 19 overtime win against Eastern Illinois.

Mayme Conroy gave the Huskers a halftime lead with her team-leading fifth goal of the season in the 25th minute. Nebraska had a corner kick opportunity after Kridler was unable to control the ball while making a save at the right post. The corner kick pinballed around the 18-yard box and Purdue failed to clear it. The ball eventually came to Conroy in the middle of the field and she headed it in the net.

Coincidentally, the Huskers scored following their only corner kick of regulation. Purdue held a 5-2 end in corners on the day.

Moments before Hairston’s equalizer, Nebraska goalkeeper Emma Stevens made the best save of the game when she made a diving stop of a Pawlik shot near the left post. Hairston’s right-to-left cross fell at the feet of Pawlik on the edge of the six-yard box but Stevens rose to the challenge and kept her team in front.

Kim Love, Melissa Casella, Francel, Frick and Hairston went the distance among the Purdue field players. Hadley Stuart (92) and Pawlik (96) also logged 90-plus minutes.

The Boilermakers posted their first win against Nebraska since 2005 and their first victory in three all-time meetings in Lincoln. Purdue scored for the sixth consecutive game this year, the team’s longest single-season streak since the final six games of 2010.

The Boilermakers return to action Sunday for a 2 p.m. ET game at Iowa.

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