WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue soccer team faces Northwestern in the opening match of the Big Ten Regional Weekend on Thursday, April 8, at 6 p.m. ET, in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Boilermakers (4-5-2) are seeded No. 5 in the west region, while the Wildcats (5-6) are the No. 4 seed. The winner advances to play No 1-seed Wisconsin, which earned a first-round bye, on April 11. UW is hosting all three matches at the McClimon Track & Soccer Complex.
Fans can watch live on BTN+, and live stats will be available at UWBadgers.com. Updates also can be found by following Purdue Soccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links to follow along are available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
Thursday's contest is a rematch of a 1-0 Purdue victory at Folk Field on March 13.
Purdue is coming off a 0-0 draw against in-state rival Indiana on Saturday night. The Boilermakers retained the Golden Boot Trophy for a sixth consecutive season with the double-overtime result, and concluded the regular season with a 3-1-2 record in West Lafayette.
Purdue is fourth in the Big Ten with 12.73 shots per match and a 0.777 goals-against average. The Boilermakers are sixth in total assists (10) and assists per match (0.91).
Individually, redshirt junior forward Sarah Griffith paces the conference with 4.55 shots per match and 2.36 shots on goal per match, both of which rank in the top-16 nationally. She also is sixth with five total goals and joins freshman forward Nicole Kevdzija at No. 6 in the Big Ten with two match-winning goals. Junior goalkeeper Marisa Bova ranks No. 3 in the league in minutes played (1041:54) and No. 4 in goals-against average (0.777) and shutouts (4).
Griffith also leads the team with 11 points, while Kevdzija is No. 2 on the team with seven points, three goals, 21 shots and 11 shots on goal. Bova has allowed nine goals and made 33 saves for a .786 save percentage, while she also has an assist.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHWESTERN
Purdue is 16-6-1 all-time against Northwestern following a 1-0 victory on March 13 at Folk Field. The two teams have met twice before in postseason play, as the Boilermakers earned a 3-1 win in 2007 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Wildcats won in 2017, 1-0 in Evanston.
EARLIER THIS YEAR AGAINST NU
A 74th-minute goal by Griffith helped Purdue blank Northwestern, 1-0, on March 13, at home. It was the second consecutive match that the Boilermakers held the opposition scoreless for the first time this season.
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.
Lambert was recognized as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on March 16 after her performance against NU.
A complete recap, including box score, highlights and photos is available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Northwestern is 5-6 on the season and 2-3 on the road. The Wildcats have lost two in a row, 1-0 at Ohio State and 2-1 against Illinois, following a two-match win streak. Eight of NU's matches this year were shutouts, five for Northwestern and three for the opposition, including Purdue.
NU is fifth in the conference in assists (13) and points (37) and sixth in goals (12) and goals per match (1.09).
LAST TIME OUT: BOILERMAKERS RETAIN GOLDEN BOOT TROPHY
In a hard-fought, physical rivalry match, Purdue kept the Golden Boot rivalry trophy for the sixth consecutive season with a 0-0 draw against Indiana on April 3 at Folk Field.
Purdue had 18 shots, eight on goal, against a defense-focused Indiana squad. Meanwhile, the Boilermaker defense limited the Hoosiers to four shots, two on goal. IU did not have a shot in the second half and the first overtime. Redshirt junior forward Sarah Griffith led the team with seven shots, five on goal, and freshman forward Nicole Kevdzija had four shots and two shots on goal. Junior goalkeeper Marisa Bova made two saves and earned her fourth clean sheet of the season.
Saturday also was Senior Night, as senior forward/midfielder Hannah Melchiorre and Ware were recognized as they played their final match at Folk Field. Melchiorre and Ware will both be graduating from Purdue University later this spring.
A complete recap, which includes a photo gallery and the box score, can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
UP NEXT: AT WISCONSIN
The winner between Purdue and Northwestern will face No. 1-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday, April 11. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT, in Madison, and the contest will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. The winner of Sunday's match, along with the conference's three other Regional Weekend winners, will face off in the Big Ten Tournament next weekend.
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 (4-5-2) are seeded No. 5 in the west region, while the Wildcats (5-6) are the No. 4 seed. The winner advances to play No 1-seed Wisconsin, which earned a first-round bye, on April 11. UW is hosting all three matches at the McClimon Track & Soccer Complex.
Fans can watch live on BTN+, and live stats will be available at UWBadgers.com. Updates also can be found by following Purdue Soccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links to follow along are available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
Thursday's contest is a rematch of a 1-0 Purdue victory at Folk Field on March 13.
Purdue is coming off a 0-0 draw against in-state rival Indiana on Saturday night. The Boilermakers retained the Golden Boot Trophy for a sixth consecutive season with the double-overtime result, and concluded the regular season with a 3-1-2 record in West Lafayette.
Purdue is fourth in the Big Ten with 12.73 shots per match and a 0.777 goals-against average. The Boilermakers are sixth in total assists (10) and assists per match (0.91).
Individually, redshirt junior forward Sarah Griffith paces the conference with 4.55 shots per match and 2.36 shots on goal per match, both of which rank in the top-16 nationally. She also is sixth with five total goals and joins freshman forward Nicole Kevdzija at No. 6 in the Big Ten with two match-winning goals. Junior goalkeeper Marisa Bova ranks No. 3 in the league in minutes played (1041:54) and No. 4 in goals-against average (0.777) and shutouts (4).
Griffith also leads the team with 11 points, while Kevdzija is No. 2 on the team with seven points, three goals, 21 shots and 11 shots on goal. Bova has allowed nine goals and made 33 saves for a .786 save percentage, while she also has an assist.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHWESTERN
Purdue is 16-6-1 all-time against Northwestern following a 1-0 victory on March 13 at Folk Field. The two teams have met twice before in postseason play, as the Boilermakers earned a 3-1 win in 2007 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Wildcats won in 2017, 1-0 in Evanston.
EARLIER THIS YEAR AGAINST NU
A 74th-minute goal by Griffith helped Purdue blank Northwestern, 1-0, on March 13, at home. It was the second consecutive match that the Boilermakers held the opposition scoreless for the first time this season.
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.
Lambert was recognized as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on March 16 after her performance against NU.
A complete recap, including box score, highlights and photos is available at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Northwestern is 5-6 on the season and 2-3 on the road. The Wildcats have lost two in a row, 1-0 at Ohio State and 2-1 against Illinois, following a two-match win streak. Eight of NU's matches this year were shutouts, five for Northwestern and three for the opposition, including Purdue.
NU is fifth in the conference in assists (13) and points (37) and sixth in goals (12) and goals per match (1.09).
LAST TIME OUT: BOILERMAKERS RETAIN GOLDEN BOOT TROPHY
In a hard-fought, physical rivalry match, Purdue kept the Golden Boot rivalry trophy for the sixth consecutive season with a 0-0 draw against Indiana on April 3 at Folk Field.
Purdue had 18 shots, eight on goal, against a defense-focused Indiana squad. Meanwhile, the Boilermaker defense limited the Hoosiers to four shots, two on goal. IU did not have a shot in the second half and the first overtime. Redshirt junior forward Sarah Griffith led the team with seven shots, five on goal, and freshman forward Nicole Kevdzija had four shots and two shots on goal. Junior goalkeeper Marisa Bova made two saves and earned her fourth clean sheet of the season.
Saturday also was Senior Night, as senior forward/midfielder Hannah Melchiorre and Ware were recognized as they played their final match at Folk Field. Melchiorre and Ware will both be graduating from Purdue University later this spring.
A complete recap, which includes a photo gallery and the box score, can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
UP NEXT: AT WISCONSIN
The winner between Purdue and Northwestern will face No. 1-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday, April 11. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT, in Madison, and the contest will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. The winner of Sunday's match, along with the conference's three other Regional Weekend winners, will face off in the Big Ten Tournament next weekend.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.