WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue soccer team earned its first win of the season with a dramatic 3-2, double-overtime victory over Maryland on Thursday evening at the Mollenkopf Athletic Center.
The Boilermakers (1-1, 1-1 Big Ten) took a 1-0 lead just 30 seconds into the match on a goal by junior forward Sarah Griffith, but the Terrapins (0-1-1) evened the contest in the 19th minute and took a 2-1 lead in the 81st. However, sophomore defender Chloe Woodbeck headed in the match-tying goal with one second left in regulation to send it to overtime. In the 102nd minute, freshman forward Nicole Kevdzija scored her first collegiate goal to win it for the Boilermakers.
"I was very pleased with how we played the game," Purdue coach Drew Roff said. "We controlled possession very well, we showed a lot of patience on the ball and switched the point of attack really well, which is something that we've been working on a lot lately. We were in Maryland's half of the field the majority of the game, had the majority of the possession, and created some really good opportunities. I was really pleased with how we played and I was really impressed with how our back line defended.
Purdue out-shot Maryland 24-8, including 13-2 in the second half, while the home team had 10 shots on goal and held the Terrapins to three. Maryland's goalkeeper made seven saves to help send the match into overtime.
Griffith led the team with a career-best 10 shots, four on goal, while freshman midfielder Emily Mathews had three shots, two on goal. Kevdzija, Mathews and junior goalkeeper Marisa Bova all recorded assists. In net, Bova made one save.
Griffith's goal at the 30 second mark is the second-fastest in program history, while Woodbeck's goal at 89:59 is the latest regulation score in team history.
"We wanted to control the ball, we wanted to control the tempo, and we did that," Roff added. "We ended up giving up the two goals. What I was most proud of is how resilient our group is, just because when you do have the better run of play, and you find yourself down 2-1, it can be very discouraging. Maryland's a team that's hard to break down, a very athletic team. We just had trouble in the final third, getting good opportunities close to goals. I was really proud of our players for their resiliency and their willingness to keep battling until literally the final second."
Griffith gave Purdue the early lead in the first minute when she got a ball from Kevdzija and dribbled through the UMD defense before beating the goalkeeper.
Three minutes later, Griffith had another opportunity when she had a long run down the sideline, but could not get a strong shot off. Junior midfielder Grace Walsh had a shot saved in the fifth minute, and Maryland's keeper saved another Griffith shot seconds later and again in the 16th minute when she tipped the ball out.
Maryland scored the equalizer at 18:22 on a goal by Mia Isaac.
Griffith and Walsh responded right back with another shot at 19:03 and 20:39, respectively, but both went wide. Senior midfielder Hannah Melchiorre sent a strong shot in in the 27th minute, but it was wide left
With 13 minutes left in the half, Bova made a nice save, and a minute later junior defender Julia Ware made a great tackle to halt an extended Maryland attack.
Both teams had a corner kick opportunity in the last five minutes of the first half, but Maryland's shot went wide and Purdue's, in the final minute on a header, was saved.
Purdue had several great opportunities early in the second half. In the 48th minute, Mathews had a shot saved, and five minutes later two shots were wide right.
In the 59th, on a cross in from Woodbeck, Griffith hit the crossbar. Five minutes later, Mathews had another shot saved, and then Woodbeck sent a deep shot in from 30 yards out that also it off the top of the crossbar.
With 15 minutes remaining in regulation, senior defender Maya Lambert made a nice tackle to prevent the Terrapins from getting a shot off.
Maryland had a breakaway attempt that resulted in a shot that was wide with 11 minutes left before the visitors took a 2-1 lead on a header by Emily McNesby off a corner kick at 80:40.
The last-second heroics began with 17 seconds remaining, when Purdue earned a free kick. The ball in was deflected out by the Terrapin defender to set up a corner kick. Mathews quickly retrieved the ball and took the corner with seven seconds left and sent the ball into the box, where Woodbeck was there to head it in with one second on the clock. After several minutes of discussion by the officials, the goal was deemed official and the two teams went to overtime.
Only one shot was taken by either team in the first overtime period, by Griffith in the first 29 seconds, but it was blocked.
Kevdzija's match-winning goal came at 101:54. On the run, she received a long ball from Bova, beat the Maryland defense and touched it past the keeper, who was out of her net. With her left foot, Kevdzija buried her first goal as a Boilermaker.
Purdue is back home on Sunday, Feb. 28 when it hosts Rutgers. Kickoff is set for noon.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Boilermakers (1-1, 1-1 Big Ten) took a 1-0 lead just 30 seconds into the match on a goal by junior forward Sarah Griffith, but the Terrapins (0-1-1) evened the contest in the 19th minute and took a 2-1 lead in the 81st. However, sophomore defender Chloe Woodbeck headed in the match-tying goal with one second left in regulation to send it to overtime. In the 102nd minute, freshman forward Nicole Kevdzija scored her first collegiate goal to win it for the Boilermakers.
"I was very pleased with how we played the game," Purdue coach Drew Roff said. "We controlled possession very well, we showed a lot of patience on the ball and switched the point of attack really well, which is something that we've been working on a lot lately. We were in Maryland's half of the field the majority of the game, had the majority of the possession, and created some really good opportunities. I was really pleased with how we played and I was really impressed with how our back line defended.
Purdue out-shot Maryland 24-8, including 13-2 in the second half, while the home team had 10 shots on goal and held the Terrapins to three. Maryland's goalkeeper made seven saves to help send the match into overtime.
Griffith led the team with a career-best 10 shots, four on goal, while freshman midfielder Emily Mathews had three shots, two on goal. Kevdzija, Mathews and junior goalkeeper Marisa Bova all recorded assists. In net, Bova made one save.
Griffith's goal at the 30 second mark is the second-fastest in program history, while Woodbeck's goal at 89:59 is the latest regulation score in team history.
"We wanted to control the ball, we wanted to control the tempo, and we did that," Roff added. "We ended up giving up the two goals. What I was most proud of is how resilient our group is, just because when you do have the better run of play, and you find yourself down 2-1, it can be very discouraging. Maryland's a team that's hard to break down, a very athletic team. We just had trouble in the final third, getting good opportunities close to goals. I was really proud of our players for their resiliency and their willingness to keep battling until literally the final second."
Griffith gave Purdue the early lead in the first minute when she got a ball from Kevdzija and dribbled through the UMD defense before beating the goalkeeper.
In the opening seconds, Sarah Griffith got a ball from Nicole Kevdzija, weaved through the Maryland defense and gave Purdue an early 1-0 lead.
— Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) February 26, 2021
At 0:30, it was the second-fastest goal to open a match in program history.#BoilerUp 🚂⚽️ pic.twitter.com/gPo8TAyhe1
Three minutes later, Griffith had another opportunity when she had a long run down the sideline, but could not get a strong shot off. Junior midfielder Grace Walsh had a shot saved in the fifth minute, and Maryland's keeper saved another Griffith shot seconds later and again in the 16th minute when she tipped the ball out.
Maryland scored the equalizer at 18:22 on a goal by Mia Isaac.
Griffith and Walsh responded right back with another shot at 19:03 and 20:39, respectively, but both went wide. Senior midfielder Hannah Melchiorre sent a strong shot in in the 27th minute, but it was wide left
With 13 minutes left in the half, Bova made a nice save, and a minute later junior defender Julia Ware made a great tackle to halt an extended Maryland attack.
Both teams had a corner kick opportunity in the last five minutes of the first half, but Maryland's shot went wide and Purdue's, in the final minute on a header, was saved.
Purdue had several great opportunities early in the second half. In the 48th minute, Mathews had a shot saved, and five minutes later two shots were wide right.
In the 59th, on a cross in from Woodbeck, Griffith hit the crossbar. Five minutes later, Mathews had another shot saved, and then Woodbeck sent a deep shot in from 30 yards out that also it off the top of the crossbar.
With 15 minutes remaining in regulation, senior defender Maya Lambert made a nice tackle to prevent the Terrapins from getting a shot off.
Maryland had a breakaway attempt that resulted in a shot that was wide with 11 minutes left before the visitors took a 2-1 lead on a header by Emily McNesby off a corner kick at 80:40.
The last-second heroics began with 17 seconds remaining, when Purdue earned a free kick. The ball in was deflected out by the Terrapin defender to set up a corner kick. Mathews quickly retrieved the ball and took the corner with seven seconds left and sent the ball into the box, where Woodbeck was there to head it in with one second on the clock. After several minutes of discussion by the officials, the goal was deemed official and the two teams went to overtime.
With seven seconds left in regulation, the Boilermakers earned a corner kick. Emily Mathews quickly sent the ball into the box, and Chloe Woodbeck was there.
— Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) February 26, 2021
With one second on the clock, this happened 🎥⬇️#BoilerUp 🚂⚽️ pic.twitter.com/Je30JQnZ1R
Only one shot was taken by either team in the first overtime period, by Griffith in the first 29 seconds, but it was blocked.
Kevdzija's match-winning goal came at 101:54. On the run, she received a long ball from Bova, beat the Maryland defense and touched it past the keeper, who was out of her net. With her left foot, Kevdzija buried her first goal as a Boilermaker.
In the 2nd overtime, Nicole Kevdzija received a long ball from Marisa Bova, and, at 101:54, found the perfect time for her first goal as a Boilermaker!
— Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) February 26, 2021
The assist also was the first of Marisa's career!#BoilerUp 🚂⚽️pic.twitter.com/7iwzofibyL
Purdue is back home on Sunday, Feb. 28 when it hosts Rutgers. Kickoff is set for noon.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.