PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The No. 19-ranked and second-seeded Purdue soccer team faces No. 13-ranked and third-seeded Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinal on Thursday, November 4, at 4 p.m. ET, in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The match will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and on the Fox Sports app, and live stats are available at BigTenStats.com. Updates also can be found by following @PurdueSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links to follow along are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/Soccer. Additional information on the Big Ten Tournament is available at BigTen.org/WSOC.
Winners of six of its last seven, with three consecutive shutouts, Purdue is 14-3-2 overall after a 1-0 win over Ohio State on Sunday in the quarterfinal. The team's 14 wins are tied for second-most in program history and the most since 2007. The Boilermakers placed second in the Big Ten standings with an 8-2-0 mark to tie their best regular-season finish, along with 2005 and 2007.
Seventeen players have earned at least a point and 16 have at least one assist, both tied for second-most in the Big Ten. Ten Boilermakers have scored a goal, tied for fifth-most in the conference. Purdue boasts a 34-16 advantage in goal differential, including 23-8 in the second half and 2-0 in overtime.
The Boilermakers are second in the Big Ten with 107 points, 39 assists, a .860 save percentage and 5.16 saves per game, while they are third with 34 goals.
Individually, senior forward Sarah Griffith is No. 2 nationally with 2.67 shots on goal per game, No. 3 with 15 goals and 5.00 shots per game, No. 11 with five game-winning goals and No. 14 with 32 points. Senior goalkeeper Marisa Bova is 21st in the NCAA with a .853 save percentage and 25th with 1,746.23 minutes, and she leads the Big Ten with 93 saves.
Additionally, sophomore midfielder Emily Mathews and freshman forward Gracie Dunaway have a team-high-tying seven assists, which is fourth in the Big Ten. Mathews also is second on the team with five goals and 17 points.
The Wolverines are 13-3-3 overall and earned the No. 3 seed with a 6-2-2 Big Ten record. Michigan advanced to the semifinal with a 3-1 win over sixth-seeded Penn State on Sunday.
THE BOILERMAKERS IN THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
This is Purdue's 12 Big Ten Tournament appearance in program history and its third since 2017, which came after a nine-year hiatus. The semifinal berth is the team's seventh overall and second in two years, following a 2019 appearance that snapped a 10-year semis drought. The Boilermakers are 9-8-2 all-time in the tournament, 1-4-1 in the semifinal and 4-1-0 as a No. 2 seed. Purdue won the 2007 championship as the second seed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with 3-0 wins over Northwestern and Illinois and a 3-1 triumph over OSU in the championships game. In 2005, the second-seeded Boilermakers lost a 3-0 quarterfinal matchup to Wisconsin.
Thursday is the first time Purdue and Michigan will meet in the postseason, and also the first time the Boilermakers and their opponent are both ranked in the top-25 for a Big Ten Tournament contest.
In 2019, eighth-seeded Purdue upset top-seeded and No. 7-ranked Wisconsin, 1-0 in the quarterfinal in Madison. Current Boilermakers Ally Mussallem and Skylurr Patrick assisted on the game-winning goal in the 45th minute, and Bova made six saves to earn the shutout victory. In the quarterfinal, Purdue lost a 2-0 contest to Penn State in Piscataway, New Jersey, as Bova registered four saves.
NATIONALLY-RANKED BOILERMAKERS
Purdue is No. 19 in this week's United Soccer Coaches Top 25. The Boilermakers are ranked nationally for the fifth consecutive week, and in the national polls for the first time since 2009. Purdue debuted at No. 25 on October 5, was No. 19 on October 12 and No. 18 the last two weeks. The Old Gold and Black also are at No. 3 in the North Region ranking, and No. 18 in the latest NCAA RPI. Purdue is No. 15 in the College Soccer News Top 30 Poll and No. 20 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings.
RECORD WATCHING
In her career, Bova's 0.870 goals-against average, .808 save percentage and 20 shutouts are all second-best all-time. She is fourth with 28 wins, 5,176.36 minutes and 55 starts and fifth in school history with 210 saves.
In a single season, Bova is tied for No. 2 with 14 wins, No. 2 with 93 saves and a .853 save percentage, tied for No. 5 with six shutouts and a 0.83 goals-against average, tied for No. 9 with 19 starts and No. 10 with 1,746:39 minutes.
Griffith's 10 game-winning goals are tied for fifth-most all-time, her 25 goals are sixth and her 58 points are eighth. In 2021, she has a school-record 15 goals, while her five game-winning goals is tied for third and her 32 points are alone at No. 3. Additionally, Griffith's 90 shots and 48 shots on goal in 2021 are both program records, and her 209 career shots and 109 career shots on goal both rank No. 5 all-time.
Griffith scored a goal in eight of 10 Big Ten games, had a point in all but one conference contest and notched a seven-game goal streak and an eight-game point streak, both school records. Meanwhile, senior midfielder Teagan Jones had a three-game assist streak, one game shy of tying the school record.
Mathews and Dunaway's seven assists are tied for No. 9 overall in a single season, and Dunaway is No. 2 in the school record books for assists by a freshman.
LAST TIME OUT: TOURNAMENT-OPENING SHUTOUT
Purdue opened the Big Ten Tournament with a 1-0 victory over seventh-seeded Ohio State in the quarterfinal on October 31, as senior forward Sarah Griffith scored her record-breaking 15th goal of the season in the 55th minute.
The Boilermakers had 19 shots, 11 on target, to Ohio State's nine shots and three on goal. OSU's keeper made nine saves and the Buckeye defense cleared another ball off the line to prevent Purdue from scoring more than once. The home side also had a 9-5 advantage in corner kicks, including 8-1 in the first half. Bova stopped all three shots she faced to notch her 14th win of the season and sixth shutout.
Jones and senior defender Maya Lambert assisted on Griffith's goal. Griffith had a game-high seven shots, three on goal, while senior forward Sydney Duarte had four shots, two on target.
A complete recap from the match, including box score, highlights and postgame reaction from coach Drew Roff, can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MICHIGAN
Purdue is 4-13-4 all-time against Michigan after a 2-1 defeat earlier in the season. The two teams have never met outside of West Lafayette or Ann Arbor, and Thursday will be the first postseason matchup. Both teams have been ranked once before, in 2002, when the No. 20 Boilermakers topped the No. 9 Wolverines, 1-0 in West Lafayette. When one team is in the top-25, Purdue is 1-2-2 as a ranked team and 1-5-1 when Michigan is in the polls.
On September 30 at Folk Field, Purdue's six-match win streak was snapped with a 2-1 loss to then-No. 17 Michigan. All three goals were scored in a 10-minute span in the first half. Michigan took a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute, but Griffith answered right back with a goal just 30 seconds later to even the score at 1-1. UM scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 32nd minute to regain a 2-1 advantage. Senior midfielder Grace Walsh assisted on Griffith's score.
Purdue was out-shot 20-6, and Michigan had a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal. Bova made five saves, and UM's keeper stopped two shots. Griffith and Mathews each had two shots, and Griffith had two of the Boilermakers' shots on target.
A complete recap from the match can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Michigan is 13-3-3 on the season, 4-2-2 on the road and 1-1-0 against top-25 opponents. The Wolverines opened the Big Ten Tournament with a 3-1 triumph over Penn State thanks to a pair of goals in the opening 21 minutes. Winners of three in a row, UM's streak began with a 2-0 victory against No. 24 Penn State. Michigan, who will be playing its first neutral-site contest on Thursday, also owns a 4-1 loss at No. 8 Rutgers.
The Wolverines are second in the Big Ten with 19.89 shots per game and 8.21 shots on goal per game, third with 103 points and 37 assists and fourth with 33 goals.
UP NEXT: BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
The winner between Purdue and Michigan will advance to the Big Ten Tournament Championship on Sunday, November 7, at 2 p.m. ET, on the Big Ten Network. The opponent will be the winner between No. 4-ranked and top-seeded Rutgers and No. 5-seed Iowa, and the final will be hosted by Rutgers.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers at @PurdueSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The match will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and on the Fox Sports app, and live stats are available at BigTenStats.com. Updates also can be found by following @PurdueSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links to follow along are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/Soccer. Additional information on the Big Ten Tournament is available at BigTen.org/WSOC.
Winners of six of its last seven, with three consecutive shutouts, Purdue is 14-3-2 overall after a 1-0 win over Ohio State on Sunday in the quarterfinal. The team's 14 wins are tied for second-most in program history and the most since 2007. The Boilermakers placed second in the Big Ten standings with an 8-2-0 mark to tie their best regular-season finish, along with 2005 and 2007.
Seventeen players have earned at least a point and 16 have at least one assist, both tied for second-most in the Big Ten. Ten Boilermakers have scored a goal, tied for fifth-most in the conference. Purdue boasts a 34-16 advantage in goal differential, including 23-8 in the second half and 2-0 in overtime.
The Boilermakers are second in the Big Ten with 107 points, 39 assists, a .860 save percentage and 5.16 saves per game, while they are third with 34 goals.
Individually, senior forward Sarah Griffith is No. 2 nationally with 2.67 shots on goal per game, No. 3 with 15 goals and 5.00 shots per game, No. 11 with five game-winning goals and No. 14 with 32 points. Senior goalkeeper Marisa Bova is 21st in the NCAA with a .853 save percentage and 25th with 1,746.23 minutes, and she leads the Big Ten with 93 saves.
Additionally, sophomore midfielder Emily Mathews and freshman forward Gracie Dunaway have a team-high-tying seven assists, which is fourth in the Big Ten. Mathews also is second on the team with five goals and 17 points.
The Wolverines are 13-3-3 overall and earned the No. 3 seed with a 6-2-2 Big Ten record. Michigan advanced to the semifinal with a 3-1 win over sixth-seeded Penn State on Sunday.
THE BOILERMAKERS IN THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
This is Purdue's 12 Big Ten Tournament appearance in program history and its third since 2017, which came after a nine-year hiatus. The semifinal berth is the team's seventh overall and second in two years, following a 2019 appearance that snapped a 10-year semis drought. The Boilermakers are 9-8-2 all-time in the tournament, 1-4-1 in the semifinal and 4-1-0 as a No. 2 seed. Purdue won the 2007 championship as the second seed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with 3-0 wins over Northwestern and Illinois and a 3-1 triumph over OSU in the championships game. In 2005, the second-seeded Boilermakers lost a 3-0 quarterfinal matchup to Wisconsin.
Thursday is the first time Purdue and Michigan will meet in the postseason, and also the first time the Boilermakers and their opponent are both ranked in the top-25 for a Big Ten Tournament contest.
In 2019, eighth-seeded Purdue upset top-seeded and No. 7-ranked Wisconsin, 1-0 in the quarterfinal in Madison. Current Boilermakers Ally Mussallem and Skylurr Patrick assisted on the game-winning goal in the 45th minute, and Bova made six saves to earn the shutout victory. In the quarterfinal, Purdue lost a 2-0 contest to Penn State in Piscataway, New Jersey, as Bova registered four saves.
Traveling in style to the Big Ten Semifinal! ✈️#BoilerUp 🚂⚽️ pic.twitter.com/gdVGvjYLU5
— Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) November 3, 2021
NATIONALLY-RANKED BOILERMAKERS
Purdue is No. 19 in this week's United Soccer Coaches Top 25. The Boilermakers are ranked nationally for the fifth consecutive week, and in the national polls for the first time since 2009. Purdue debuted at No. 25 on October 5, was No. 19 on October 12 and No. 18 the last two weeks. The Old Gold and Black also are at No. 3 in the North Region ranking, and No. 18 in the latest NCAA RPI. Purdue is No. 15 in the College Soccer News Top 30 Poll and No. 20 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings.
RECORD WATCHING
In her career, Bova's 0.870 goals-against average, .808 save percentage and 20 shutouts are all second-best all-time. She is fourth with 28 wins, 5,176.36 minutes and 55 starts and fifth in school history with 210 saves.
In a single season, Bova is tied for No. 2 with 14 wins, No. 2 with 93 saves and a .853 save percentage, tied for No. 5 with six shutouts and a 0.83 goals-against average, tied for No. 9 with 19 starts and No. 10 with 1,746:39 minutes.
Griffith's 10 game-winning goals are tied for fifth-most all-time, her 25 goals are sixth and her 58 points are eighth. In 2021, she has a school-record 15 goals, while her five game-winning goals is tied for third and her 32 points are alone at No. 3. Additionally, Griffith's 90 shots and 48 shots on goal in 2021 are both program records, and her 209 career shots and 109 career shots on goal both rank No. 5 all-time.
Griffith scored a goal in eight of 10 Big Ten games, had a point in all but one conference contest and notched a seven-game goal streak and an eight-game point streak, both school records. Meanwhile, senior midfielder Teagan Jones had a three-game assist streak, one game shy of tying the school record.
Mathews and Dunaway's seven assists are tied for No. 9 overall in a single season, and Dunaway is No. 2 in the school record books for assists by a freshman.
LAST TIME OUT: TOURNAMENT-OPENING SHUTOUT
Purdue opened the Big Ten Tournament with a 1-0 victory over seventh-seeded Ohio State in the quarterfinal on October 31, as senior forward Sarah Griffith scored her record-breaking 15th goal of the season in the 55th minute.
The Boilermakers had 19 shots, 11 on target, to Ohio State's nine shots and three on goal. OSU's keeper made nine saves and the Buckeye defense cleared another ball off the line to prevent Purdue from scoring more than once. The home side also had a 9-5 advantage in corner kicks, including 8-1 in the first half. Bova stopped all three shots she faced to notch her 14th win of the season and sixth shutout.
Jones and senior defender Maya Lambert assisted on Griffith's goal. Griffith had a game-high seven shots, three on goal, while senior forward Sydney Duarte had four shots, two on target.
A complete recap from the match, including box score, highlights and postgame reaction from coach Drew Roff, can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MICHIGAN
Purdue is 4-13-4 all-time against Michigan after a 2-1 defeat earlier in the season. The two teams have never met outside of West Lafayette or Ann Arbor, and Thursday will be the first postseason matchup. Both teams have been ranked once before, in 2002, when the No. 20 Boilermakers topped the No. 9 Wolverines, 1-0 in West Lafayette. When one team is in the top-25, Purdue is 1-2-2 as a ranked team and 1-5-1 when Michigan is in the polls.
On September 30 at Folk Field, Purdue's six-match win streak was snapped with a 2-1 loss to then-No. 17 Michigan. All three goals were scored in a 10-minute span in the first half. Michigan took a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute, but Griffith answered right back with a goal just 30 seconds later to even the score at 1-1. UM scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 32nd minute to regain a 2-1 advantage. Senior midfielder Grace Walsh assisted on Griffith's score.
Purdue was out-shot 20-6, and Michigan had a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal. Bova made five saves, and UM's keeper stopped two shots. Griffith and Mathews each had two shots, and Griffith had two of the Boilermakers' shots on target.
A complete recap from the match can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Michigan is 13-3-3 on the season, 4-2-2 on the road and 1-1-0 against top-25 opponents. The Wolverines opened the Big Ten Tournament with a 3-1 triumph over Penn State thanks to a pair of goals in the opening 21 minutes. Winners of three in a row, UM's streak began with a 2-0 victory against No. 24 Penn State. Michigan, who will be playing its first neutral-site contest on Thursday, also owns a 4-1 loss at No. 8 Rutgers.
The Wolverines are second in the Big Ten with 19.89 shots per game and 8.21 shots on goal per game, third with 103 points and 37 assists and fourth with 33 goals.
UP NEXT: BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
The winner between Purdue and Michigan will advance to the Big Ten Tournament Championship on Sunday, November 7, at 2 p.m. ET, on the Big Ten Network. The opponent will be the winner between No. 4-ranked and top-seeded Rutgers and No. 5-seed Iowa, and the final will be hosted by Rutgers.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers at @PurdueSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.