WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue soccer team faces its second ranked opponent of the season when they host No. 17 Michigan on Thursday, September 30, at 7 p.m. ET at Folk Field.
Admission is free for all fans to every regular-season home match in 2021. Thursday is the annual Hammer Down Cancer match, where the team will honor all who have fought or are currently fighting cancer. The Boilermakers will wear special uniforms that will be auctioned off, beginning on Thursday at 9 a.m. ET, and closing on Friday at 5 p.m. ET. The auction can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer or https://boile.rs/HDC21Jerseys. The proceeds for the jersey auction, along with any donations received through the auction website, will go to the Purdue Center for Cancer Research.
Additionally, luminary candles will line the Folk Field entrance, and fans will have the opportunity to decorate a bag with a message to or in honor of someone who has battled or is battling cancer. Hammer Down Cancer buttons also will be available for fans.
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.
For fans unable to cheer on the Boilermakers in person, the match will be broadcast live on B1G+ and live stats are available 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 own an 8-1-2 record, 3-0 in the Big Ten, and are off to their best start to a season since 2007. Purdue has won six in a row and eight of its last nine matches, and the team is 3-0 in Big Ten play also for the first time since 2007. The squad is alone in first place in the Big Ten with nine points and is coming off a win at Illinois on September 23 and a dramatic overtime win over Iowa on September 26.
Seventeen players have earned at least a point and 15 have at least one assist, both the most in the Big Ten. Ten Boilermakers have scored a goal, tied for third-most in the conference. Purdue boasts a 22-9 advantage in goal differential, including 15-5 in the second half.
Through 11 matches, the Boilermakers are second in the Big Ten with 22 goals, 68 points and 5.00 saves per game. Purdue is third in the league in assists (24) and save percentage (.859).
Individually, senior goalkeeper Marisa Bova leads the conference and is No. 11 nationally with 1037:43 minutes played, and she is first in the Big Ten with 54 saves and fourth with a .857 save percentage. Senior forward Sarah Griffith is No. 15 in the NCAA with 4.60 shots per game, and she also leads the league with seven goals. She is second in the conference with 2.10 shots on goal per game and third with 15 points. Sophomore midfielder Emily Mathews' two game-winning goals is sixth in the Big Ten. Mathews is second on the team with 11 points, and freshman forward Gracie Dunaway has a team-best four assists.
The Wolverines are 7-1-2 and 1-0-1 in Big Ten play following a scoreless tie against Wisconsin on Sunday. Michigan is tied for seventh in the conference standings with four points, though UM has only played two matches and all but one other team has played three. Michigan is ranked in each major national poll, coming in as high as No. 18 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and the Soccer America top-25.
LAST TIME OUT: OVERTIME THRILLER
A 90th-minute match-tying goal by Griffith and the golden goal in overtime by senior midfielder Teagan Jones propelled Purdue to a 2-1 victory over Iowa on Sunday afternoon at Folk Field.
The win came in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion, as Griffith's seventh goal of the year tied the match at 1-1 with 18.9 seconds left in regulation. Jones won it in the 98th minute with her first goal in 2021 and the third of her career. Griffith and Jones' heroics came after the Hawkeyes scored the game's first goal in the 87th minute.
Both teams had 17 shots, while Purdue had a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal. Jones had a match-high seven shots, and Griffith was second with six shots and a match-best three shots on goal. Bova made two saves and the Boilermaker defense cleared another shot off the line. Griffith's goal was assisted by sophomore defender Nicole Kevdzija, and Jones' golden goal was assisted by Mathews and junior defender Lauren Holleran.
A complete recap from the match, including box score, postgame comments from coach Drew Roff and highlights, can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MICHIGAN
Purdue is 4-12-4 all-time against Michigan and 3-4-2 in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers are 2-4-1 against the Wolverines when they are ranked and 2-1-1 at home, with wins in 2002 and 2005.
The two teams last met in 2019, a 2-1 Michigan win in Ann Arbor. Bova made four saves in the contest and Sydney Duarte had two shots, one on goal.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Michigan is 7-1-2 on the season, 1-0-1 in the Big Ten and 2-0-1 on the road. The Wolverines are coming off a 0-0, double-overtime draw at home to Wisconsin on September 26, and their matchup at No. 9 Rutgers on September 23 was postponed due to inclement weather. Michigan began conference play with a 2-1 win in overtime over Illinois, and the squad is unbeaten in its last five contests with a 3-0-2 mark.
The Wolverines lead the Big Ten and are No. 7 nationally with 22.60 shots per game, and they are No. 14 in the NCAA with a 0.470 goals-against average and No. 21 with 9.10 shots on goal per game. Michigan also is fourth in the Big Ten in save percentage (.857) and fifth in shutout percentage (.500).
UP NEXT: BOILERMAKERS AND BADGERS
The weekend continues with another top-25 matchup, as Purdue faces No. 18 Wisconsin on the road. Kickoff in Madison is set for 3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT.
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 to every regular-season home match in 2021. Thursday is the annual Hammer Down Cancer match, where the team will honor all who have fought or are currently fighting cancer. The Boilermakers will wear special uniforms that will be auctioned off, beginning on Thursday at 9 a.m. ET, and closing on Friday at 5 p.m. ET. The auction can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer or https://boile.rs/HDC21Jerseys. The proceeds for the jersey auction, along with any donations received through the auction website, will go to the Purdue Center for Cancer Research.
Additionally, luminary candles will line the Folk Field entrance, and fans will have the opportunity to decorate a bag with a message to or in honor of someone who has battled or is battling cancer. Hammer Down Cancer buttons also will be available for fans.
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.
For fans unable to cheer on the Boilermakers in person, the match will be broadcast live on B1G+ and live stats are available 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 own an 8-1-2 record, 3-0 in the Big Ten, and are off to their best start to a season since 2007. Purdue has won six in a row and eight of its last nine matches, and the team is 3-0 in Big Ten play also for the first time since 2007. The squad is alone in first place in the Big Ten with nine points and is coming off a win at Illinois on September 23 and a dramatic overtime win over Iowa on September 26.
Seventeen players have earned at least a point and 15 have at least one assist, both the most in the Big Ten. Ten Boilermakers have scored a goal, tied for third-most in the conference. Purdue boasts a 22-9 advantage in goal differential, including 15-5 in the second half.
Through 11 matches, the Boilermakers are second in the Big Ten with 22 goals, 68 points and 5.00 saves per game. Purdue is third in the league in assists (24) and save percentage (.859).
Individually, senior goalkeeper Marisa Bova leads the conference and is No. 11 nationally with 1037:43 minutes played, and she is first in the Big Ten with 54 saves and fourth with a .857 save percentage. Senior forward Sarah Griffith is No. 15 in the NCAA with 4.60 shots per game, and she also leads the league with seven goals. She is second in the conference with 2.10 shots on goal per game and third with 15 points. Sophomore midfielder Emily Mathews' two game-winning goals is sixth in the Big Ten. Mathews is second on the team with 11 points, and freshman forward Gracie Dunaway has a team-best four assists.
The Wolverines are 7-1-2 and 1-0-1 in Big Ten play following a scoreless tie against Wisconsin on Sunday. Michigan is tied for seventh in the conference standings with four points, though UM has only played two matches and all but one other team has played three. Michigan is ranked in each major national poll, coming in as high as No. 18 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and the Soccer America top-25.
LAST TIME OUT: OVERTIME THRILLER
A 90th-minute match-tying goal by Griffith and the golden goal in overtime by senior midfielder Teagan Jones propelled Purdue to a 2-1 victory over Iowa on Sunday afternoon at Folk Field.
The win came in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion, as Griffith's seventh goal of the year tied the match at 1-1 with 18.9 seconds left in regulation. Jones won it in the 98th minute with her first goal in 2021 and the third of her career. Griffith and Jones' heroics came after the Hawkeyes scored the game's first goal in the 87th minute.
Both teams had 17 shots, while Purdue had a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal. Jones had a match-high seven shots, and Griffith was second with six shots and a match-best three shots on goal. Bova made two saves and the Boilermaker defense cleared another shot off the line. Griffith's goal was assisted by sophomore defender Nicole Kevdzija, and Jones' golden goal was assisted by Mathews and junior defender Lauren Holleran.
A complete recap from the match, including box score, postgame comments from coach Drew Roff and highlights, can be found at PurdueSports.com/Soccer.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MICHIGAN
Purdue is 4-12-4 all-time against Michigan and 3-4-2 in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers are 2-4-1 against the Wolverines when they are ranked and 2-1-1 at home, with wins in 2002 and 2005.
The two teams last met in 2019, a 2-1 Michigan win in Ann Arbor. Bova made four saves in the contest and Sydney Duarte had two shots, one on goal.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Michigan is 7-1-2 on the season, 1-0-1 in the Big Ten and 2-0-1 on the road. The Wolverines are coming off a 0-0, double-overtime draw at home to Wisconsin on September 26, and their matchup at No. 9 Rutgers on September 23 was postponed due to inclement weather. Michigan began conference play with a 2-1 win in overtime over Illinois, and the squad is unbeaten in its last five contests with a 3-0-2 mark.
The Wolverines lead the Big Ten and are No. 7 nationally with 22.60 shots per game, and they are No. 14 in the NCAA with a 0.470 goals-against average and No. 21 with 9.10 shots on goal per game. Michigan also is fourth in the Big Ten in save percentage (.857) and fifth in shutout percentage (.500).
UP NEXT: BOILERMAKERS AND BADGERS
The weekend continues with another top-25 matchup, as Purdue faces No. 18 Wisconsin on the road. Kickoff in Madison is set for 3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT.
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.