Rutgers women’s soccer will conclude its Illinois road trip with a match against Northwestern on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, broadcast on Big Ten Plus. The game will be held at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston.
The Scarlet Knights currently hold a 3-5-4 overall record and are 1-5-1 in the Big Ten. Head Coach Mike O’Neill is in his 12th season leading the program. Under his leadership, Rutgers qualified for its 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament in 2024, after securing an 11-win season and reaching the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. Since joining the Big Ten, Rutgers has made the conference tournament every year for 11 years.
This season’s roster includes 29 players, featuring 15 returners and 14 newcomers—nine true freshmen and five four-year transfers. The coaching staff remains unchanged with associate head coach Lubos Ancin, assistant coaches Madison Tiernan and Ryan Nigro, and Director of Operations Trish DiPaolo all returning for their sixth straight season together.
In their most recent match, Rutgers lost to Illinois by a score of 2-0. The Fighting Illini scored both goals within a span of 27 seconds late in the first half.
Goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer continues to be a key player for Rutgers. She is one of only three goalkeepers nationally named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist this season. Bodmer has recorded 53 saves over 11 matches and has four shutouts this year, bringing her career totals to 20 shutouts and 199 saves—just one save away from becoming only the ninth player in program history to reach the milestone of 200 saves.
Graduate transfer Nata Ramirez leads Rutgers’ offense with eight points this season, including three goals (two game-winners) and two assists.
Freshman Lindsey Hailey stands out as the only player on the team who has played every minute of every match so far this season as center back. Nationally, she is one of just two freshmen to play every minute for their teams.
Coach O’Neill named goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer, midfielder Gabriela Gil, and midfielder/forward Allie Post as team captains for the current campaign. Gil returns after missing part of last season due to injury but was previously ranked No.32 freshman nationally by TopDrawerSoccer and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors in October.
Rutgers has seen significant contributions from newcomers; nine players have made their collegiate debut this year while three different true freshmen have each scored a goal.
Forward Ashley Baran, goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer, and midfielder/forward Nata Ramirez were recognized as Big Ten Players to Watch ahead of this season by conference officials. In the previous year, Baran led Rutgers with six goals while Bodmer started all games in goal posting seven solo shutouts and making 73 saves.
