Boilermaker Cup Challenge on Deck

Game Notes

FRIDAY, SEPT. 6
4 p.m. ET
No. 11 Kansas (4-0-0) vs. DePaul (1-3-0)
Live Stats

7:30 p.m. ET
No. 7 South Carolina (3-0-0) at RV Purdue (4-0-0)
Hammer Down Cancer
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SUNDAY, SEPT. 8
11 a.m. ET
No. 7 South Carolina (3-0-0) vs. DePaul (1-3-0)
Live Stats

2 p.m. ET
No. 11 Kansas (4-0-0) at RV Purdue (4-0-0)
Camp Reunion Day
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Purdue's 4-0 Start

• Purdue is off to its second-best start in program history after winning all four games (Best: 5-0-0, 2009 and 2000).
• For the second consecutive week, Purdue received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. (Week 1: 3 votes; Week 2: 18 votes)
• Just three games into the season, Seven Boilermakers scored goals. Meanwhile, Purdue has recorded seven goal scorers throughout each of the 2018 and 2017 seasons.
• In 2015, Purdue hosted back-to-back ranked opponents, however it was a Sunday – Thursday match-up (No. 23 Rutgers and No. 9 Penn State).
• The last time Purdue played two consecutive ranked teams was last season. The Boilermakers played at No. 15 South Carolina on a Sunday (L, 2-1), then hosted No. 24 Louisville (W, 2-1) at home.
• The 3-0 win at DePaul marked the first time since 2015 Purdue scored at least three goals in back-to-back games.

Leading the Way

• Purdue is leading the way, averaging 14.5 shots per game and allowing just 6 from opponents.
• Three Boilermakers have scored twice: Sarah Griffith, Leanna Rebimbas and Hannah Melchiorre. Meanwhile, Griffith and Melchiorre lead the team with two game-winners apiece.
• Two players own a team season-best of six points: Griffith and Rebimbas (2 goals, 2 assists).
• Goalkeeper Marisa Bova has played every minute of the 2019 season thus far (360 minutes).
• Freshman center-back Sydney Sparks leads the remaining team with 354 minutes on the pitch while also producing the most shots on the team (10).
• Griffith has placed 6 of 7 shots on-frame for a 0.857 SOG%.
• Three Boilermakers earned Big Ten weekly honors this season: Marisa Bova (Goalkeeper, 8/27), Sydney Sparks (Defender, 9/4) and Leanna Rebimbas (Co-Freshman, 9/4).
• Sparks' B1G Defender of the Week honor marked just the fourth time a freshmen has earned the honor since 2008 who was not a goalkeeper. Two of the four honorees are Boilermakers.

Sparks on the Field

• Sparks tallied the third and final goal at DePaul on a free kick from center-field for her first collegiate goal.
• The shot checked in at No. 6 on SC Top 10, No. 1 on espnW Plays of the Week, and No. 1 on NCAA Soccer Top Plays of the Week.
• The SC Top 10 game almost exactly one year after Purdue soccer earned No. 5 for its game-winner against Iowa State.

Scouting No. 7 South Carolina

• Like Purdue, South Carolina has allowed just one goal this season and owns an 11-1 scoring advantage.
• With three games under their belts, the Gamecocks average 20 shots per game while allowing an opponent average of six.
• Elexa Bahr leads the team with three goals and three assists. Through five total shots, she has placed three on goal (.600 SOG%). All three of her goals were game-winners.
• Eight Gamecocks have found the back of the net this season, while assists have come from six players.
• South Carolina played one ranked opponent this season: No. 21 NC State in the season-opener at home. Similar to Purdue's victory at Iowa State, South Carolina allowed a goal in the first 21 minutes before coming back in the second-half to win.
• The team is coming off a 6-0 victory at Jacksonville State, which was the most Carolina has scored since November 2016.
• Last season, USC advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, it lost 1-0 to No. 14 Penn State.

The Rewind: Purdue at South Carolina, Sept. 2, 2018

• Purdue traveled to Columbia last year, where the Boilermakers fell 2-1 to USC.
• The game was scoreless through the first half before the Gamecocks scored its first goal in the 68th minute by Jyllissa Harris before Bahr scored the game-winner in the 82nd minute. Both scorers return for the 2019 season.
• Kylie Hase responded in the 89th minute on an assist from Sarah Clark.
• South Carolina out-shot Purdue 17-6, meanwhile Purdue's Katie Luce notched six saves.

Scouting No. 11 Kansas

• Like Purdue, the Jayhawks enter Week 3 with a perfect 4-0 record.
• The Boilermaker Challenge Cup marks the first time Kansas will be tested on the road.
• To open the season, Kansas hosted fellow Big Ten team Nebraska, where Kansas shutout the Huskers 4-0.
• KU faced one nationally-ranked opponent this season in No. 20 Memphis. In the game, KU won 2-1, after trailing at halftime – like Purdue's victory at Iowa State.
• Katie McClure was named National Player of the Week by United Soccer Coaches after the opening week of competition, where she produced a hat trick against Nebraska and added a goal and assist vs. Loyola-Chicago.
• McClure leads the team with six goals and tying a team-best two assists. Four of McClure's goals were game-winners.
• KU earned two penalty kicks this season, which Ceri Holland has converted on.
• Three goalkeepers have earned time in the net, however Sarah Peters owns over 332 minutes on the pitch and earned the wins in each game.