 Bova with the North Carolina Courage in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | August 6, 2000 | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | North Carolina Courage | ||
| Number | 44 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2021 | Purdue Boilermakers | 60 | (0) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022– | North Carolina Courage | 0 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 22, 2023 | |||
Marisa Bova (born August 6, 2000) is an American professional soccer goalkeeper for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Purdue Boilermakers. She was selected by the Courage in the 2022 NWSL Draft.
Early life[edit]
Bova grew up in Hartland, Wisconsin, and has three brothers.[1] Her mother, Amy, played college volleyball for Drake, and her brother Dante played soccer for UNC Asheville.[1] She played soccer as a forward until age twelve, when the coach of her club team, SC Waukesha, asked her to play in goal; the team won six straight state cup championships from 2011 to 2017.[2] Bova graduated early from Arrowhead High School and began attending Purdue University in the spring of 2018.[2]
College career[edit]
Bova played six games for Purdue as a freshman in 2018.[1] She began regularly starting for the Boilermakers in her sophomore season and had 66 saves to 18 goals allowed in 20 games.[1] She shut out top seed Wisconsin with six saves in the first round of the 2019 Big Ten tournament.[3] She made 12 starts in the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season, recording 35 saves and 10 goals allowed as well as one assist.[1]
Bova set a program record with 113 saves as the team captain in her senior season in 2021, becoming the first Boilermaker to pass the 100-save mark in a season.[1] She allowed 21 goals and recorded seven shutouts in 22 games, helping Purdue earn a berth into the 2021 NCAA tournament for the first time in twelve years.[1] She recorded six saves against Loyola Chicago in Purdue's first-round 1–0 double-overtime win.[4] In the second round, she had a career-best ten saves in a 1–1 draw to Notre Dame after double overtime, but lost on penalties.[1] During this season in which she was named to the All-Big Ten second team, fans celebrated her with the phrase "Mo says no".[1][2] Bova, a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, received dual Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Purdue in December 2021.[5]
Club career[edit]
The North Carolina Courage selected Bova 45th overall in the fourth round of the 2022 NWSL Draft.[5] She signed a one-year contract in February 2022 with an option for another year.[6] She extended her contract for another two years in November 2023, not yet having made an appearance behind starting goalkeepers Casey Murphy and Katelyn Rowland.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Marisa Bova – Soccer". Purdue Boilermakers. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ a b c Gorham, Brendon (December 5, 2021). "'Mo says no'". Purdue Exponent. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ "Purdue stuns top-seed Wisconsin in Big Ten women's soccer tournament". National Collegiate Athletic Association. November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ Gorham, Brendon (November 15, 2021). "Purdue Soccer: Griffith saves the day". Purdue Exponent. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Healy, Charlie (December 18, 2021). "Griffith and Bova Selected as Purdue's First NWSL Draft Picks". Purdue Boilermakers. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ "NC Courage Ink Five 2022 NWSL Draft Picks to Rookie Contracts". North Carolina Courage. February 7, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ "Goalkeeper Marisa Bova signs two-year extension". North Carolina Courage. November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
External links[edit]
- Marisa Bova at Soccerway
- Marisa Bova at the National Women's Soccer League
- Marisa Bova at the North Carolina Courage