WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue soccer team played to a 1-1 draw against Ohio State on Thursday evening at the Mollenkopf Athletic Center in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Redshirt junior Sarah Griffith scored less than four minutes into the match for the Boilermakers (3-3-1), but the Buckeyes (2-1-3) found the equalizer in the 81st minute. The draw extends Purdue's unbeaten streak to three consecutive matches, while OSU, which is receiving votes in several national polls, avoids being shut out for the first time this season.
Purdue had a 15-13 advantage in shots and Ohio State held a 6-5 edge in shots on goal. Through the opening 66 minutes of play, the Boilermakers had 11 shots and the defense limited the Buckeyes to one, while OSU then had a 12-4 shot advantage in the final 55 minutes of action. Junior goalkeeper Marisa Bova made several big saves and stopped five of the six shots she faced, all in the final 40 minutes.
"Well, it definitely was a tale of two halves and two different looking games that, probably in the 60 or 65th minute, Ohio State just started playing more direct and fatigue set in a bit," Purdue coach Drew Roff said. "We had to deal with some of those longer balls and some of the flick-ins and one-on-one battles in the corner, and those took its toll. They created some corner kicks and some set pieces, and I think up to that point I was very pleased with how we played. I thought we played exactly how we wanted to play, but they started to get more ahold of the game towards the middle of the second half. Their player stepped up and scored a big-time goal. We had numbers around her, but she found a little window and put it in the upper corner, so that was obviously a momentum changer right there.
"At that point, we definitely pinned back a bit, looking to counter a little bit more than really keep it like we did early in the match. That is my disappointment, that we weren't able to maintain that level throughout. We were very close, but we got caught up in playing a game that isn't really our game, and that was to their advantage. You have to give credit to Ohio State, it was a really furious comeback, and they were really getting after us. We were really battling hard, and I think both teams deserved a point tonight. I think we were better early, and they were a little bit better late. Although each team wants the three points, and wants to walk out of here with a win, it's one of those days were a 1-1 score is a just result."
Griffith, freshman forward Nicole Kevdzija and freshman midfielder Emily Mathews all had three shots, while Kevdzija had a team-high two shots on goal.
Purdue took an early 1-0 lead at 3:14. Near midfield, Griffith stole the ball from an Ohio State midfielder and went on the attack against three OSU defenders. After dribbling 35 yards, she took a shot from 20 yards out, to the right of the penalty arc, and buried the ball into the far corner of the goal to beat a diving Buckeye goalkeeper.
It was Griffith's team-leading fourth goal of the season, and the forward has scored in back-to-back matches and three of Purdue's last four contests, while she has a four-match point streak.
The Boilermakers continued to apply pressure offensively, and OSU's keeper made a nice save on a shot by Kevdzija in the 23rd minute, 30 seconds after a shot by Mathews was blocked.
OSU's first offensive opportunity didn't come until the 32nd minute, when the visitors had a corner kick. However, on the free ball into the box, Bova punched the ball out the end the threat.
Purdue had four of the first five shots in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Two were blocked, one was wide and OSU's goalkeeper made a nice save on the last, by Kevdzija. Ohio State's first shot came in the 58th minute, which was saved by Bova.
The Buckeyes' pressure increased in the 70th minute, with a shot wide and a corner kick two minutes later, but the Purdue defense prevented a second shot.
Ohio State tied the match at 80:36 on a goal by Kayla Fischer.
Bova made a nice save in the 85th minute to keep the match tied. In the final 80 seconds, junior midfielder Skylar Giacobetti had a shot that was saved, and fellow junior midfielder Teagan Jones sent a ball high.
In the first overtime, the Buckeyes had all six shots, two on goal and one that hit the left post from 20 yards out. However, Bova made two huge saves, including one where she leaped to her right to tip a ball out that was heading towards the upper corner of the net.
Three minutes after Bova made her final save of the match to open the second overtime, Mathews hit the post on a hard-hit shot from 25 yards out. Senior forward Hannah Melchiorre had a shot saved in the final minute.
Purdue concludes a three-match homestand against Michigan State on Sunday, March 21. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Folk Field.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Redshirt junior Sarah Griffith scored less than four minutes into the match for the Boilermakers (3-3-1), but the Buckeyes (2-1-3) found the equalizer in the 81st minute. The draw extends Purdue's unbeaten streak to three consecutive matches, while OSU, which is receiving votes in several national polls, avoids being shut out for the first time this season.
Purdue had a 15-13 advantage in shots and Ohio State held a 6-5 edge in shots on goal. Through the opening 66 minutes of play, the Boilermakers had 11 shots and the defense limited the Buckeyes to one, while OSU then had a 12-4 shot advantage in the final 55 minutes of action. Junior goalkeeper Marisa Bova made several big saves and stopped five of the six shots she faced, all in the final 40 minutes.
"Well, it definitely was a tale of two halves and two different looking games that, probably in the 60 or 65th minute, Ohio State just started playing more direct and fatigue set in a bit," Purdue coach Drew Roff said. "We had to deal with some of those longer balls and some of the flick-ins and one-on-one battles in the corner, and those took its toll. They created some corner kicks and some set pieces, and I think up to that point I was very pleased with how we played. I thought we played exactly how we wanted to play, but they started to get more ahold of the game towards the middle of the second half. Their player stepped up and scored a big-time goal. We had numbers around her, but she found a little window and put it in the upper corner, so that was obviously a momentum changer right there.
"At that point, we definitely pinned back a bit, looking to counter a little bit more than really keep it like we did early in the match. That is my disappointment, that we weren't able to maintain that level throughout. We were very close, but we got caught up in playing a game that isn't really our game, and that was to their advantage. You have to give credit to Ohio State, it was a really furious comeback, and they were really getting after us. We were really battling hard, and I think both teams deserved a point tonight. I think we were better early, and they were a little bit better late. Although each team wants the three points, and wants to walk out of here with a win, it's one of those days were a 1-1 score is a just result."
Griffith, freshman forward Nicole Kevdzija and freshman midfielder Emily Mathews all had three shots, while Kevdzija had a team-high two shots on goal.
Purdue took an early 1-0 lead at 3:14. Near midfield, Griffith stole the ball from an Ohio State midfielder and went on the attack against three OSU defenders. After dribbling 35 yards, she took a shot from 20 yards out, to the right of the penalty arc, and buried the ball into the far corner of the goal to beat a diving Buckeye goalkeeper.
Sarah makes it look easy. 😲#BoilerUp 🚂⚽️ pic.twitter.com/nDWmRngrJv
— Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) March 18, 2021
It was Griffith's team-leading fourth goal of the season, and the forward has scored in back-to-back matches and three of Purdue's last four contests, while she has a four-match point streak.
The Boilermakers continued to apply pressure offensively, and OSU's keeper made a nice save on a shot by Kevdzija in the 23rd minute, 30 seconds after a shot by Mathews was blocked.
OSU's first offensive opportunity didn't come until the 32nd minute, when the visitors had a corner kick. However, on the free ball into the box, Bova punched the ball out the end the threat.
Purdue had four of the first five shots in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Two were blocked, one was wide and OSU's goalkeeper made a nice save on the last, by Kevdzija. Ohio State's first shot came in the 58th minute, which was saved by Bova.
The Buckeyes' pressure increased in the 70th minute, with a shot wide and a corner kick two minutes later, but the Purdue defense prevented a second shot.
Ohio State tied the match at 80:36 on a goal by Kayla Fischer.
Bova made a nice save in the 85th minute to keep the match tied. In the final 80 seconds, junior midfielder Skylar Giacobetti had a shot that was saved, and fellow junior midfielder Teagan Jones sent a ball high.
In the first overtime, the Buckeyes had all six shots, two on goal and one that hit the left post from 20 yards out. However, Bova made two huge saves, including one where she leaped to her right to tip a ball out that was heading towards the upper corner of the net.
Three minutes after Bova made her final save of the match to open the second overtime, Mathews hit the post on a hard-hit shot from 25 yards out. Senior forward Hannah Melchiorre had a shot saved in the final minute.
Purdue concludes a three-match homestand against Michigan State on Sunday, March 21. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Folk Field.
For more on the Purdue soccer team, visit PurdueSports.com/Soccer and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.