Sweeping Past the Boilermakers
Tied 1-1, Penn State was eager for another goal. Numerous opportunities emerged offensively, such as when senior Taylor Schram (#19) slide the ball past the Purdue keeper, only to find out she was ruled offside in a close call. Nevertheless, Penn State continued to penetrate the Purdue defense and Kori Chapic (#14) headed the ball into the net off a corner kick with just under10 minutes left in the half. A 2-1 lead wasn’t enough for the Nittany Lions though. In the last minute of the half, Tani Costa (#22) crossed the ball near the goal and Purdue defense deflected the ball into their own net giving Penn State a 3-1 lead at the half.
The second half proved to be equally favorable for Penn State. Seven minutes into the half, a perfectly placed cross from Emily Hurd (#3) allowed Tani Costa (#22) to flick the ball into the back of the net. This wasn’t Hurd’s only dangerous cross of the game – countless more feeds from the left midfielder created scoring opportunities. Just under 30 minutes left in the half, senior Maya Hayes (#5) took Purdue defender one-on-one and scored, giving the Lions a 5-1 lead. With about 12 minutes left in the game junior Kindrah Kohne (#12) nailed the ball from about 25 yards out, increasing the Penn State goal total to 6.
The Nittany Lions swept past the Boilermakers with a final score of 6-1. Their next game will be against Big Ten rival Indiana at Jeffrey Field this Sunday with a start time of 12 noon.