WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Former Purdue soccer stars Marisa Bova and Sarah Griffith have been named to their respective team’s rosters ahead of the National Women’s Soccer League season, which begins this weekend with the 2022 Challenge Cup.
Bova is one of three goalkeepers for the North Carolina Courage and Griffith is one of eight forwards on the Chicago Red Stars. The two former Boilermaker greats were selected in the 2022 NWSL Draft in December as the first two NWSL draft picks in Purdue history.
To open the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup, Bova and the Courage host NJ/NY Gotham FC on Saturday, March 19 in Cary, North Carolina. Griffith and the Red Stars travel to Houston to face the Houston Dash on Sunday, March 20.
Bova and the Courage and Griffith and the Red Stars will meet twice in the regular season. The first matchup is on July 10 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, and the rematch is slated for August 20 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
In the 2022 draft, Griffith was selected by the Red Stars in the third round with the 35th overall pick and Bova was picked by the Courage in the fourth round with the 45th pick. Purdue was one of nine schools to have multiple players drafted. The Boilermakers were the only Big Ten program and the only team not on the east or west coast with two or more draft picks. Bova and Griffith are the third and fourth professional draft selections in program history and the first in the NWSL.
After concluding their record-setting Purdue careers in 2021, Bova and Griffith graduated from Purdue in December. Bova earned a bachelors of science degree in psychological sciences and a bachelor of arts in law and society, and Griffith graduated with a bachelors of science degree in psychological sciences.
Let’s go, @bova_marisa!!#BoilerUp 🚂⚽️ https://t.co/CQF3TVY1D7
— Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) March 15, 2022
One of the best goalkeepers in team history, Bova was named to the 2021 All-Big Ten Second Team. In her career, the Hartland, Wisconsin, native ranked No. 2 in team history with 21 shutouts, a 0.91 goals-against average and a .807 save percentage. She tied for No. 3 with 29 career wins as the fourth player ever with more than 20, and also was third with 5480:14 minutes and tied for No. 3 with 58 games started in goal. Bova’s…
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