WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The 24th Purdue soccer season officially begins at Folk Field against Kentucky on Thursday, August 19, with kickoff at 7 p.m. ET.
Admission is free for all fans. A gold sunglasses and mystery t-shirt giveaway, along with free pizza, will be available for the first 100 students.
University, local and state health guidelines will be followed on game day. Updates will be provided by Purdue Athletics, if necessary. A clear bag policy will be implemented for all events in Purdue Athletics facilities this year, and information can be found at PurdueSports.com/ClearBag.
The match will be broadcast live on BTN+, while live stats can be found at Purdue.Statbroadcast.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.
The Boilermakers, led by seventh-year head coach Drew Roff, open the season after a 4-6-2 Big Ten-only 2020 season, played in the spring of 2021. Ten of Purdue's 11 starters from the 2020 campaign, and 22 total players, are back. That includes senior forward Sarah Griffith and senior midfielder Grace Walsh, who earned All-Big Ten Team accolades last spring. The 30-player roster features 10 seniors and eight newcomers.
Griffith, senior goalkeeper Marisa Bova and senior defenders Teagan Jones and Maya Lambert have been named the team's captains this year. Griffith and Lambert served in the role in 2020-21, while Bova and Jones are first-time captains.
BIG TEN RECOGNIZES THREE ON WATCH LIST
Three seniors, Bova, Griffith and Walsh, were named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List on Monday. The trio are recognized for the second consecutive year on the preseason list.
Bova, Griffith and Walsh have been key contributors to Purdue's on-field success in their careers. Bova and Griffith started all 12 matches last season, while Walsh played in and started 11 contests. Bova and Walsh are Big Ten Distinguished Scholars in 2020-21 and all three earned Academic All-Big Ten honors a year ago.
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
Purdue is 5-1-0 in season-opening matches under Roff and 6-0-0 in home openers. Three of the victories were shutouts. Last season, as the Boilermakers opened against a Big Ten opponent for the first time in team history, they suffered a 1-0 defeat at Illinois on February 18. A week later, on February 25, Purdue rebounded with a 3-2, double-overtime win over Maryland at home.
SERIES HISTORY VS. KENTUCKY
Purdue and Kentucky meet for the second time on Thursday after the two teams played to a 0-0 draw in 2007. The season lidlifter was the start of a memorable campaign for the Boilermakers, who went 20-2-3, won the Big Ten Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Kentucky is coming off a 1-6-3 season in 2020. The Wildcats posted a 3-1 home victory over Florida on Nov. 6, and followed it with a 6-5 defeat to the Gators in the SEC Championship. In its lone spring match, UK lost a 4-1 contest at Pitt on March 29. Ian Carry is in his fifth season at the helm in Lexington and his ninth year overall with the program.
UP NEXT: AT VANDERBILT
The season-opening weekend continues when Purdue travels to No. 18 Vanderbilt on Sunday, August 22. Kickoff in Nashville is at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT, and the match will air on SECN+.
A LOOK AT THE 2021 SLATE
Purdue's 2021 schedule features 20 matches, 13 at Folk Field and seven on the road. The Boilermakers will play 10 Big Ten Conference contests in addition to eight regular-season non-conference games. The Big Ten opener is at Nebraska on Sunday, September 19.
The 2021 slate includes matches against in-state rivals Indiana and Notre Dame, and the Old Gold and Black will face a total of seven clubs that made the 2020 NCAA Tournament. The complete schedule can be found here.
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.
Admission is free for all fans. A gold sunglasses and mystery t-shirt giveaway, along with free pizza, will be available for the first 100 students.
University, local and state health guidelines will be followed on game day. Updates will be provided by Purdue Athletics, if necessary. A clear bag policy will be implemented for all events in Purdue Athletics facilities this year, and information can be found at PurdueSports.com/ClearBag.
The match will be broadcast live on BTN+, while live stats can be found at Purdue.Statbroadcast.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.
The Boilermakers, led by seventh-year head coach Drew Roff, open the season after a 4-6-2 Big Ten-only 2020 season, played in the spring of 2021. Ten of Purdue's 11 starters from the 2020 campaign, and 22 total players, are back. That includes senior forward Sarah Griffith and senior midfielder Grace Walsh, who earned All-Big Ten Team accolades last spring. The 30-player roster features 10 seniors and eight newcomers.
Griffith, senior goalkeeper Marisa Bova and senior defenders Teagan Jones and Maya Lambert have been named the team's captains this year. Griffith and Lambert served in the role in 2020-21, while Bova and Jones are first-time captains.
BIG TEN RECOGNIZES THREE ON WATCH LIST
Three seniors, Bova, Griffith and Walsh, were named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List on Monday. The trio are recognized for the second consecutive year on the preseason list.
Bova, Griffith and Walsh have been key contributors to Purdue's on-field success in their careers. Bova and Griffith started all 12 matches last season, while Walsh played in and started 11 contests. Bova and Walsh are Big Ten Distinguished Scholars in 2020-21 and all three earned Academic All-Big Ten honors a year ago.
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
Purdue is 5-1-0 in season-opening matches under Roff and 6-0-0 in home openers. Three of the victories were shutouts. Last season, as the Boilermakers opened against a Big Ten opponent for the first time in team history, they suffered a 1-0 defeat at Illinois on February 18. A week later, on February 25, Purdue rebounded with a 3-2, double-overtime win over Maryland at home.
SERIES HISTORY VS. KENTUCKY
Purdue and Kentucky meet for the second time on Thursday after the two teams played to a 0-0 draw in 2007. The season lidlifter was the start of a memorable campaign for the Boilermakers, who went 20-2-3, won the Big Ten Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Kentucky is coming off a 1-6-3 season in 2020. The Wildcats posted a 3-1 home victory over Florida on Nov. 6, and followed it with a 6-5 defeat to the Gators in the SEC Championship. In its lone spring match, UK lost a 4-1 contest at Pitt on March 29. Ian Carry is in his fifth season at the helm in Lexington and his ninth year overall with the program.
UP NEXT: AT VANDERBILT
The season-opening weekend continues when Purdue travels to No. 18 Vanderbilt on Sunday, August 22. Kickoff in Nashville is at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT, and the match will air on SECN+.
A LOOK AT THE 2021 SLATE
Purdue's 2021 schedule features 20 matches, 13 at Folk Field and seven on the road. The Boilermakers will play 10 Big Ten Conference contests in addition to eight regular-season non-conference games. The Big Ten opener is at Nebraska on Sunday, September 19.
The 2021 slate includes matches against in-state rivals Indiana and Notre Dame, and the Old Gold and Black will face a total of seven clubs that made the 2020 NCAA Tournament. The complete schedule can be found here.
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.