I

THE DETAILS

Thu., Oct. 17
7 p.m. at Folk Field (West Lafayette, Ind.)
Rutgers (9-2-3, 5-1-2)
vs. Purdue (6-7-2, 2-5-1)

II

SETTING THE STAGE

Rutgers lost its first Big Ten game last time out against No. 9 Iowa after going unbeaten over its previous 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. 30 in the Oct. 16 RPI Rankings, the Scarlet Knights own draws against the No. 5, 7, and 12 RPI teams (Wake Forest, Penn State, and Michigan State). Rutgers is No. 19 in the latest Top Drawer Soccer poll.

Three matches remain in the regular season with Rutgers in a fourth-place tie with Ohio State on the Big Ten table with 17 points. The Scarlet Knights play their final two matches at home chasing its second Big Ten title and a top-six spot to receive one of the six first-round byes in the Big Ten Tournament. The top six seeds play their first tournament game on Sat., Nov. 2 or Sun., Nov. 3 at Minnesota, while seeds 7-10 open on Thurs., Oct. 31.

III

BARAN BANGERS

Sophomore striker Ashley Baran scored her first collegiate hat trick against Nebraska last 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 BOILERMAKERS

Purdue enters the week four points behind Minnesota for the 10th and final berth in the Big Ten Tournament. The Boilermakers are 6-7-2 overall and 2-5-1 in B1G play with conference wins over Oregon (1-0) and Northwestern (2-0).

The Boilermakers have posted six shutouts for the first time since their 2021 NCAA Tournament team had seven in 22 games. Individually, Emily Edwards has moved into sixth place on Purdue's single-season list. The four clean sheets on the road are the program's most since 2019. Chiara Singarella's team-leading five goals are the most by a newcomer since Kylie Hase had five as a freshman in 2017. Hase scored the lone goal of the night in a Big Ten-opening win at Michigan that season, the Boilermakers' first-ever victory in Ann Arbor.

Rutgers is 7-0-1 all-time against Purdue since joining the conference in 2014 and 2-0-1 in West Lafayette.

V

BODMER'S BOX

Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer has done her part as part of the defensive unit leading to 0.57 goals allowed per game. Bodmer ranks 18th in the NCAA with her seven shutouts. Her 0.57 goals-against average ranks 26th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten. Bodmer's .846 save percentage is 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 14 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.

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 14 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 14 matches in the midfield and has contributed plenty to the goals-against average ranking 12th in the NCAA. Sophomore Tsokos has 12 starts in 14 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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