WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue soccer team hosts Ohio State on Thursday, March 18, at 5 p.m. ET.
The match will be played at the Mollenkopf Athletic Center, with the venue switch due to inclement weather expected in the area. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, fans will not be allowed.
Fans can watch live on BTN+, and live stats will be available at Purdue.Statbroadcast.com. Updates also can be found by following Purdue Soccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links to follow along can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
The Boilermakers (3-3-0) have won two in a row and are coming off a 1-0 victory over Northwestern on Saturday, while the Buckeyes (2-1-2) played to a 2-2 draw against Penn State. Thursday's matchup marks the fourth consecutive time in the series that OSU comes to West Lafayette.
Purdue is second in the Big Ten in total assists, with nine, and assists per match, with 1.50. The Boilermakers are fifth in total points (23) and points (3.83), shots (10.83) and corner kicks (4.33) per match.
Individually, freshman forward Nicole Kevdzija paces the conference and is No. 28 nationally with two match-winning goals, and she and redshirt junior forward Sarah Griffith are both No. 3 in the Big Ten with three goals. Griffith also is second in the league in shots per match, with 3.50, while freshman midfielder Emily Mathews is No. 4 with two total assists.
Along with her team-high-tying three goals and seven points, Griffith has a Purdue-best 21 shots and nine shots on goal. Junior goalkeeper Marisa Bova has played all 552 minutes and has allowed six goals for a 0.98 goals-against average with 17 saves for a .739 save percentage. She also has an assist on the year.
SERIES HISTORY VS. OHIO STATE
Purdue is 11-12-3 all-time against Ohio State following a scoreless draw in 2019. The Boilermakers are 4-7-1 in West Lafayette in the series.
Last season, Purdue out-shot OSU 18-10 and had a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal. Current senior Hannah Melchiorre led the team with four shots, two on goal, and Griffith had three shots, two on goal. Bova played all 110 minutes and made five saves in the shutout.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State owns a 2-1-2 record and is coming off a 2-2 draw against Penn State on March 13. OSU is 1-1 on the road, with a 3-1 victory at Maryland and a 2-1 defeat at Rutgers. The Buckeyes are receiving votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll and the TopDrawerSoccer.com rankings
OSU is No. 21 nationally with 2.00 assists per match and No. 25 with 16.40 shots per match, while the Buckeyes also pace the Big Ten in points per match (6.00), shots on goal per match (7.60) and total assists (10). Ohio State is second in the league in goals per match (2.00) and corner kicks per match (6.00).
LAST TIME OUT: PURDUE SHUTS OUT NORTHWESTERN
Griffith scored her team-high-tying third goal of the season as Purdue blanked Northwestern, 1-0, on March 13. It was the second consecutive match that the Boilermakers held the opposition scoreless for the first time this season. Griffith's goal came in the 74th minute as Purdue won its second in a row.
The Boilermakers were out-shot 8-7, but had a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal. Griffith led the team with two shots, both on goal. It was her first match-winner in 2020-21 and the fourth of her career. Bova made two saves and earned her second shutout of the season and 13th of her career.
The game-winning goal began with junior defender Julia Ware, who centered the ball to senior defender Maya Lambert from the near sideline, 25 yards from Purdue's endline. Lambert dribbled several yards before she sent a long ball up the field to meet a sprinting Griffith, 25 yards in front of Northwestern's goal. Griffith dribbled to her left into the 18 and buried the match-winner into the far corner.
A complete recap, including box score, highlights and postmatch comments from coach Drew Roff, is available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
UP NEXT: VS. MICHIGAN STATE
Purdue concludes a three-match homestand against Michigan State on Sunday, March 21. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Folk Field.
LAMBERT EARNS BIG TEN HONOR
Senior defender Maya Lambert was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on March 16 after she notched the assist on the match-winning goal on March 13 against Northwestern, and led the Purdue defense to a pair of shutouts last week, with a 2-0 victory at Wisconsin on March 8 followed by a 1-0 home win over NU.
The assist was Lambert's second of her career, with the first, as a freshman in 2017, also the match-winner. It is the fourth Big Ten weekly accolade earned by a Boilermaker this season, the most of any team. The award is the first of Lambert's career.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The match will be played at the Mollenkopf Athletic Center, with the venue switch due to inclement weather expected in the area. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, fans will not be allowed.
Fans can watch live on BTN+, and live stats will be available at Purdue.Statbroadcast.com. Updates also can be found by following Purdue Soccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links to follow along can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
The Boilermakers (3-3-0) have won two in a row and are coming off a 1-0 victory over Northwestern on Saturday, while the Buckeyes (2-1-2) played to a 2-2 draw against Penn State. Thursday's matchup marks the fourth consecutive time in the series that OSU comes to West Lafayette.
Purdue is second in the Big Ten in total assists, with nine, and assists per match, with 1.50. The Boilermakers are fifth in total points (23) and points (3.83), shots (10.83) and corner kicks (4.33) per match.
Individually, freshman forward Nicole Kevdzija paces the conference and is No. 28 nationally with two match-winning goals, and she and redshirt junior forward Sarah Griffith are both No. 3 in the Big Ten with three goals. Griffith also is second in the league in shots per match, with 3.50, while freshman midfielder Emily Mathews is No. 4 with two total assists.
Along with her team-high-tying three goals and seven points, Griffith has a Purdue-best 21 shots and nine shots on goal. Junior goalkeeper Marisa Bova has played all 552 minutes and has allowed six goals for a 0.98 goals-against average with 17 saves for a .739 save percentage. She also has an assist on the year.
SERIES HISTORY VS. OHIO STATE
Purdue is 11-12-3 all-time against Ohio State following a scoreless draw in 2019. The Boilermakers are 4-7-1 in West Lafayette in the series.
Last season, Purdue out-shot OSU 18-10 and had a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal. Current senior Hannah Melchiorre led the team with four shots, two on goal, and Griffith had three shots, two on goal. Bova played all 110 minutes and made five saves in the shutout.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State owns a 2-1-2 record and is coming off a 2-2 draw against Penn State on March 13. OSU is 1-1 on the road, with a 3-1 victory at Maryland and a 2-1 defeat at Rutgers. The Buckeyes are receiving votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll and the TopDrawerSoccer.com rankings
OSU is No. 21 nationally with 2.00 assists per match and No. 25 with 16.40 shots per match, while the Buckeyes also pace the Big Ten in points per match (6.00), shots on goal per match (7.60) and total assists (10). Ohio State is second in the league in goals per match (2.00) and corner kicks per match (6.00).
LAST TIME OUT: PURDUE SHUTS OUT NORTHWESTERN
Griffith scored her team-high-tying third goal of the season as Purdue blanked Northwestern, 1-0, on March 13. It was the second consecutive match that the Boilermakers held the opposition scoreless for the first time this season. Griffith's goal came in the 74th minute as Purdue won its second in a row.
The Boilermakers were out-shot 8-7, but had a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal. Griffith led the team with two shots, both on goal. It was her first match-winner in 2020-21 and the fourth of her career. Bova made two saves and earned her second shutout of the season and 13th of her career.
The game-winning goal began with junior defender Julia Ware, who centered the ball to senior defender Maya Lambert from the near sideline, 25 yards from Purdue's endline. Lambert dribbled several yards before she sent a long ball up the field to meet a sprinting Griffith, 25 yards in front of Northwestern's goal. Griffith dribbled to her left into the 18 and buried the match-winner into the far corner.
A complete recap, including box score, highlights and postmatch comments from coach Drew Roff, is available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
UP NEXT: VS. MICHIGAN STATE
Purdue concludes a three-match homestand against Michigan State on Sunday, March 21. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Folk Field.
LAMBERT EARNS BIG TEN HONOR
Senior defender Maya Lambert was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on March 16 after she notched the assist on the match-winning goal on March 13 against Northwestern, and led the Purdue defense to a pair of shutouts last week, with a 2-0 victory at Wisconsin on March 8 followed by a 1-0 home win over NU.
The assist was Lambert's second of her career, with the first, as a freshman in 2017, also the match-winner. It is the fourth Big Ten weekly accolade earned by a Boilermaker this season, the most of any team. The award is the first of Lambert's career.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.