I

THE DETAILS

Sun., Oct. 13
1 p.m. at Yurcak Field (Piscataway, N.J.)
Rutgers (9-1-3, 5-0-2)
vs. No. 9 Iowa (10-1-3, 5-1-1)

At the Stadium
Special Olympics Day
Witness an exciting halftime scrimmage featuring Special Olympics participants.
The tailgate takes place in the parking lot three hours before kickoff. Then 90 minutes before kickoff, fans are encouraged to welcome the Scarlet Knights to Yurcak Field at the Scarlet Walk located outside the ticket booth.

II

SETTING THE STAGE

Rutgers is unbeaten over its last 10 matches at 8-0-2, including 1-1 draws on the road at then-No. 1 Michigan State and No. 19 Penn State. Sitting at No. 27 in the Oct. 10 RPI Rankings, the Scarlet Knights own draws against the No. 4, 7, and 9 RPI teams (Wake Forest, Penn State, and Michigan State). Rutgers is No. 15 in the latest Top Drawer Soccer poll and will face Iowa, who is ranked No. 8 in the latest RPI.

The Scarlet Knights are facing their third ranked opponent in four matches against No. 9 Iowa on Sunday. Rutgers plays three of its remaining four regular season matches at home.

III

BARAN BANGERS

Sophomore striker Ashley Baran scored her first collegiate hat trick against Nebraska on Thursday to help the Scarlet Knights erase a 2-1 deficit and claim a 3-2 victory to remain unbeaten in the Big Ten. It was Rutgers' first hat trick in Big Ten play since joining the conference 2014. Baran, who came into the contest with one goal in 2024, left the field with four. She opened scoring in the fifth minute, and after Nebraska tied in the sixth and went ahead in the 10th, collected her brace in the 51st and the hat trick in the 54th on the game-winner.
 
"It was a must-win game," Baran said. "After two ties and conceding twice early in this one, we recollected at halftime because we knew we could be the better team. The game was ours after that."

IV

SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES

Iowa just suffered its first loss of the season last time out - a 2-1 setback against Wisconsin on Thursday, dropping its record to 10-1-3 (5-1-1). The Hawkeyes have won nine of their last 11 games. The one game the Hawkeyes didn't win (prior to the Wisconsin loss) over the 11-game period was a tie at No. 17 Ohio State, 1-1. Iowa's No. 9 ranking is the highest in program history.

Eleven Hawkeyes have scored goals in the 2024 season, led by Berit Parten (6), Maya Hansen (5), and Meike Ingles (4). Goalkeeper Macy Enneking has started all five years at Iowa, anchoring the team to two NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of conference tournament championships.

Rutgers is 7-4-0 against Iowa since 2003 (the only meeting outside of Big Ten play starting in 2014). RU is 6-2 in Big Ten regular season play and 4-0 when the contest is played in Piscataway.

V

BODMER'S BOX

Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer has done her part as part of the defensive unit leading to 0.46 goals allowed per game. Bodmer ranks 14th in the NCAA with her seven shutouts. Her 0.46 goals-against average ranks 13th in the nation and second in the Big Ten. Bodmer's .870 save percentage is 15th nationally and second in the Big Ten.

"We play as a team, we defend as a team," Bodmer said. "All 31 of us are doing what we can to help this team. We call each other sisters, and it helps to have them in front of me. I can't thank them enough; they are the best backline I could ask for. They instill confidence in not just me, but the whole team."

Bodmer claimed the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honor after a 1-0 shutout at Michigan and a 1-1 draw at No. 1 Michigan State, marking Rutgers' first Goalkeeper of the Week conference honor since Meagan McClelland in 2021.

VI

THE ASSIST QUEEN

Senior striker Riley Tiernan's two assists in the 3-0 win over Oregon on Sept. 19 gave her 30 for her career, setting the new school record for career assists at Rutgers. She tied, then passed Gina DeMaio's (2006-10) previous school record of 29. Tiernan now ranks 10th in the NCAA and is third in the Big Ten with her seven assists this season.

"It's all because of the team," Tiernan said. "We have a lot of talent and depth this year, so knowing I can dish the ball out and my teammates are going to put it in the back of the net is key. You can't be an assister without those people that are going to put the ball away."

Tiernan's game-winner in the 1-0 win over Washington gave her 66 career points, tying her with her sister Madison (Tiernan) Richard for eighth place all-time in the Rutgers record book.

VII

POINTS OF EMPHASIS

Rutgers returned 41 percent of its points from 2023 and was in search for new sources of offense heading into 2024. The underclassmen responded with four Scarlet Knights recording their first collegiate points over the first matches of the season.

Freshman midfielder Shaela Bradley, who has started all 12 games, scored her first goal in the win over Maine and added her first assist in the victory over Lehigh. Bradley is a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week and ranks third on the team with nine points on three goals and three assists, including the equalizing goal to earn the 1-1 draw at No. 19 Penn State on Friday.

Redshirt freshman Reilly McGlinn opened her collegiate scoring with Rutgers' goal against Wake Forest in the 1-1 draw and pitched in her first assist in the win over Maine. Redshirt freshman Gabriela Gil scored the opening goal and game-winner against Lehigh for her first score, and netted the game-winner in the 1-0 victory at Michigan. Freshman Mikayla Mandleur notched her first collegiate point on the assist in the Lehigh triumph.

Gabriela Gil claimed Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after scoring a high-pressure penalty in the 86th minute to tie the game at 1-1 at No. 1 Michigan State.

VIII

SPREAD OFFENSE

Rutgers' first six goals of the season were scored by six different players. Nine different Scarlet Knights have accounted for their 21 total goals. Ten different players have recorded a point during the 2024 season.

IX

YOUNG MINUTES

Rutgers sports two true freshmen in the starting lineup in forward Shaela Bradley and back Claire Hammill, alongside another starter in redshirt freshman midfielder Gabriela Gil. The following freshmen or redshirt freshmen also have minutes through the first six games: Reilly McGlinn, Mikayla Mandleur, Riley Morris, Gabby Miller, and Brianna Azevedo.

X

BETWEEN THE POST

Junior forward Allie Post has emerged as a top scoring threat in the Scarlet Knight offense. She scored her first career brace, netting both goals in the 2-0 win over NC State in the non-conference finale. She's one of the leading Rutgers goal scorer with four tallies, adding a marker in the 3-0 win over Lehigh and the game-winner against Oregon. After scoring four and two points during her freshman and sophomore seasons, respectively, she now has 10 through 13 games as a junior.

XI

IMPACT TRANSFERS

Transfers Sydney Urban (Maryland) and Patricia Tsokos (Arkansas) have made their presence known in their first seasons in Scarlet. Graduate transfer Urban has started in all 13 matches in the midfield and has contributed plenty to the 0.33 goals-against average ranking second in the NCAA. Sophomore Tsokos has 11 starts in 13 appearances and also flexes well between defensive and midfield positions to chip into one of the best defensive metrics in the country.


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