Rutgers women’s soccer will play against Illinois on Thursday, October 9, at Demirjian Park in Champaign. The match is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET and will be streamed on B1G+ with commentary from Tony Fanara and Drew Arnopolin.
Head coach Mike O’Neill is leading the Scarlet Knights for the 12th season. Under his leadership, the team has qualified for the NCAA Tournament every year he has been in charge, including their 13th consecutive appearance in 2024. The Scarlet Knights also reached the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game last season and have qualified for the conference tournament each of their 11 years in the Big Ten.
The current roster includes 29 players, with 15 returning and 14 newcomers. Of those newcomers, nine are freshmen and five are four-year transfers. The coaching staff, including associate head coach Lubos Ancin, assistant coaches Madison Tiernan and Ryan Nigro, and Director of Operations Trish DiPaolo, remains unchanged from last season.
In their most recent match, Rutgers lost 2-1 at home to Penn State. Kennedi Cotter scored her second goal of the season, Julia Joseph recorded her first career assist, and goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer matched her season high with eight saves.
Bodmer has been recognized as one of the top goalkeepers in the country, being one of three nationally named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist. She has recorded 49 saves in nine matches this season, along with four shutouts. Her career totals now stand at 20 shutouts and 195 saves, placing her ninth in program history for saves and five away from reaching 200—a milestone only eight other Rutgers players have achieved.
Graduate transfer Nata Ramirez leads the team with eight points, including a team-high three goals and two assists. Two of her goals were game winners.
Freshman Lindsey Hailey has started every game at center back and is the only player on the team to have played all 90 minutes in each match this season. She is one of only two freshmen nationally to play every minute for their team so far. Hailey has contributed to five shutouts and scored against Fairfield.
Rutgers has outscored its opponents 6-3 in first halves this season, showing a tendency to start matches strongly.
Team captains for 2025 are Olivia Bodmer, Gabriela Gil, and Allie Post. Bodmer is serving as captain for the second time. Gil returns after missing part of last season due to injury but was previously recognized as a top freshman by TopDrawerSoccer and earned a Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor. Post brings significant experience with 50 games played and 26 starts.
The team has relied on new talent, with nine Scarlet Knights making their collegiate debut this year and 14 making their first appearance for Rutgers. Three true freshmen—Kennedi Cotter, Lindsey Hailey, and Sophia Stiles—have each scored a goal this season.
Ashley Baran, Olivia Bodmer, and Nata Ramirez were named Big Ten Players to Watch by the conference. Baran led Rutgers in goals last year, while Bodmer posted seven solo shutouts in 2024. Ramirez was recognized as First Team All-Ivy and Second Team All-Region during her previous stint at Columbia.
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