WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue soccer team opens the 2020-21 season on Thursday, Feb. 18, against Illinois at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Indiana, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. ET.
As the Boilermakers return to the pitch for the first time since November, 2019, fans can follow along with live stats at FightingIllini.com, and updates can be found by following Purdue Soccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, fans will not be allowed.
"We're really looking forward to the opportunity to compete again," sixth-year coach Drew Roff said. "I'm proud of how our team has trained and worked over the last several months, and we're ready to face some outside competition and see where we're at. I'm very proud of our team, we have a great group, great leadership and some really talented young players that have joined the mix. We're ready to put our best foot forward and start off with a big match tomorrow. We're very excited to get started."
Eighteen Boilermakers return from last year's squad, including all eleven starters and every minute played in goal. Additionally, players responsible for 87 % (46 of 53) of the team's points scored in 2019 are back. Nine newcomers also join the squad.
Illinois is the designated home team for Thursday's contest. The match was originally scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20, in Champaign, Illinois, and the date and location change was due to Illinois' field not being ready for play.
TRIO OF PRESEASON HONORS
Redshirt junior forward Sarah Griffith, junior goalkeeper Marisa Bova and junior midfielder Grace Walsh have been recognized on the Big Ten Players to Watch List, the Big Ten Conference announced on Wednesday.
Griffith started all 20 matches in 2019 and was second on the team with three goals, two game-winning goals, three assists and nine points. She led the team with 36 shots and 20 shots on goal as a sophomore.
Bova played every minute in goal last season and helped lead Purdue to nine shutouts, the team's most since 2007. She recorded seven statistics that rank in the top-10 in a single season in program history, including No. 2 in shutouts (nine), No. 6 in goals-against average (0.87), No. 8 in fewest goals allowed (18), No. 9 in save percentage (.786) and No. 10 in wins (eight).
Walsh also started all 20 matches in 2019 and had one goal, 11 shots and five shots on goal while playing every minute of all but three matches. She was a key piece of the Boilermaker defense that notched nine shutouts, including a 1-0 upset victory at top-seeded and No. 7-ranked Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament.
The trio also were three of 22 soccer student-athletes and part of a department-record 96 Boilermakers named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team in the fall.
A LOOK BACK AT THE 2019 BOILERMAKERS
Purdue went 8-9-3 in 2019, highlighted by a Big Ten Tournament upset victory at top-seeded and No. 7-ranked Wisconsin and another win over rival Indiana to keep the Golden Boot trophy for a fifth consecutive year. The Boilermakers' underclassmen averaged 8.7 starters per game, while 14 of their 18 goals were scored by underclassmen.
The defense posted nine shutouts, the most since 2007, while a balanced offensive attack saw nine goal scorers, the most since 2015. Purdue notched two upset victories over top-25 squads, with the win at Wisconsin the first over a top-10 club since 2009.
Now-senior forward Hannah Melchiorre was recognized with several postseason awards. She was named one of 27 collegiate semifinalist for the 2020 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, which recognizes athletes for their character and leadership both on and off the field. Additionally, Melchiorre was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team, the second player in program history to earn the honor, and to the Academic All-District 5 First Team to become the second Purdue soccer player to earn multiple all-district recognitions.
Additionally, 24 Boilermakers were named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team in the fall of 2019 and six collected Big Ten Player of the Week accolades.
OPENING THE SEASON STRONG
The Boilermakers are a perfect 5-0-0 in season openers under Roff, and they are 3-1-1 in Big Ten openers. Three of Roff's five season-opening victories have been shutouts, while Purdue had a clean sheet in all three Big Ten-opening wins. 2019 saw Purdue open the campaign with a 1-0 win over Georgia and a 1-0 shutout of Nebraska to commence conference play.
Thursday marks the first time in program history Purdue opens the season against a Big Ten foe.
SERIES HISTORY VS. ILLINOIS
Purdue is 9-12-3 all-time against Illinois in a series that began in 1998, the Boilermakers' inaugural season. The Fighting Illini won the last matchup, 3-1 in 2018 in Champaign, though Purdue has won three of the last four and is 4-2-1 in the series since 2012. Under Roff, the Boilermakers are 3-1.
The two teams have met three times at a neutral site, with all three previous meetings coming in the Big Ten Tournament. Purdue is 1-2 in those postseason contests following a 3-0 victory in 2007.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING ILLINI
Illinois went 9-8-1 in 2019 and was 3-7-1 in the Big Ten to finish 11th in the conference. The Fighting Illini posted a 6-3-0 mark at home, were 3-4-1 on the road and 0-1-0 at a neutral site.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
As the Boilermakers return to the pitch for the first time since November, 2019, fans can follow along with live stats at FightingIllini.com, and updates can be found by following Purdue Soccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, fans will not be allowed.
"We're really looking forward to the opportunity to compete again," sixth-year coach Drew Roff said. "I'm proud of how our team has trained and worked over the last several months, and we're ready to face some outside competition and see where we're at. I'm very proud of our team, we have a great group, great leadership and some really talented young players that have joined the mix. We're ready to put our best foot forward and start off with a big match tomorrow. We're very excited to get started."
Eighteen Boilermakers return from last year's squad, including all eleven starters and every minute played in goal. Additionally, players responsible for 87 % (46 of 53) of the team's points scored in 2019 are back. Nine newcomers also join the squad.
Illinois is the designated home team for Thursday's contest. The match was originally scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20, in Champaign, Illinois, and the date and location change was due to Illinois' field not being ready for play.
TRIO OF PRESEASON HONORS
Redshirt junior forward Sarah Griffith, junior goalkeeper Marisa Bova and junior midfielder Grace Walsh have been recognized on the Big Ten Players to Watch List, the Big Ten Conference announced on Wednesday.
Griffith started all 20 matches in 2019 and was second on the team with three goals, two game-winning goals, three assists and nine points. She led the team with 36 shots and 20 shots on goal as a sophomore.
Bova played every minute in goal last season and helped lead Purdue to nine shutouts, the team's most since 2007. She recorded seven statistics that rank in the top-10 in a single season in program history, including No. 2 in shutouts (nine), No. 6 in goals-against average (0.87), No. 8 in fewest goals allowed (18), No. 9 in save percentage (.786) and No. 10 in wins (eight).
Walsh also started all 20 matches in 2019 and had one goal, 11 shots and five shots on goal while playing every minute of all but three matches. She was a key piece of the Boilermaker defense that notched nine shutouts, including a 1-0 upset victory at top-seeded and No. 7-ranked Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament.
The trio also were three of 22 soccer student-athletes and part of a department-record 96 Boilermakers named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team in the fall.
Check out the complete gallery! 📷👉 https://t.co/xNpnXpyU26#BoilerUp 🚂⚽️ pic.twitter.com/iLVXGBtl4I
— Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) February 18, 2021
A LOOK BACK AT THE 2019 BOILERMAKERS
Purdue went 8-9-3 in 2019, highlighted by a Big Ten Tournament upset victory at top-seeded and No. 7-ranked Wisconsin and another win over rival Indiana to keep the Golden Boot trophy for a fifth consecutive year. The Boilermakers' underclassmen averaged 8.7 starters per game, while 14 of their 18 goals were scored by underclassmen.
The defense posted nine shutouts, the most since 2007, while a balanced offensive attack saw nine goal scorers, the most since 2015. Purdue notched two upset victories over top-25 squads, with the win at Wisconsin the first over a top-10 club since 2009.
Now-senior forward Hannah Melchiorre was recognized with several postseason awards. She was named one of 27 collegiate semifinalist for the 2020 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, which recognizes athletes for their character and leadership both on and off the field. Additionally, Melchiorre was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team, the second player in program history to earn the honor, and to the Academic All-District 5 First Team to become the second Purdue soccer player to earn multiple all-district recognitions.
Additionally, 24 Boilermakers were named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team in the fall of 2019 and six collected Big Ten Player of the Week accolades.
OPENING THE SEASON STRONG
The Boilermakers are a perfect 5-0-0 in season openers under Roff, and they are 3-1-1 in Big Ten openers. Three of Roff's five season-opening victories have been shutouts, while Purdue had a clean sheet in all three Big Ten-opening wins. 2019 saw Purdue open the campaign with a 1-0 win over Georgia and a 1-0 shutout of Nebraska to commence conference play.
Thursday marks the first time in program history Purdue opens the season against a Big Ten foe.
SERIES HISTORY VS. ILLINOIS
Purdue is 9-12-3 all-time against Illinois in a series that began in 1998, the Boilermakers' inaugural season. The Fighting Illini won the last matchup, 3-1 in 2018 in Champaign, though Purdue has won three of the last four and is 4-2-1 in the series since 2012. Under Roff, the Boilermakers are 3-1.
The two teams have met three times at a neutral site, with all three previous meetings coming in the Big Ten Tournament. Purdue is 1-2 in those postseason contests following a 3-0 victory in 2007.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING ILLINI
Illinois went 9-8-1 in 2019 and was 3-7-1 in the Big Ten to finish 11th in the conference. The Fighting Illini posted a 6-3-0 mark at home, were 3-4-1 on the road and 0-1-0 at a neutral site.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.