I

THE DETAILS

Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals
Sat., Nov. 2
4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. CT) at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium (Minneapolis, Minn.)
#5 seed Rutgers (10-3-4)
vs. #4 seed No. 16 Michigan State (12-1-5)

II

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Rutgers finished fifth in the new 18-team Big Ten with 21 points from a 6-2-3 conference record. The Scarlet Knights won 10 matches in the regular season for the 11th time in 12 full seasons (excluding 2020), and earned draws on the road at No. 1 Michigan State and No. 19 Penn State. Rutgers highest RPI win came via a 1-0 victory over No. 25 Wisconsin to open up Big Ten play.

No. 16 Michigan State, formerly a No. 1 ranked team in the United Soccer Coaches poll this season, are 12-1-5 overall and finished fourth in the Big Ten with a 7-1-3 record and 24 points. The Spartans have defeated No. 15 Notre Dame and No. Penn State, and own draws against No. 9 Arkansas, No. 15 Xavier, and No. 11 Ohio State. Michigan State won its final three matches of the regular season outscoring opponents, 6-1.

III

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS

Michigan State's +26 goal differential is the 17th best in the NCAA heading into the postseason, largely in part to their No. 21 ranked 0.67 goals-against average. Graduate forward Meg Hughes tallied a score in the regular season finale win over Purdue. It was Hughes' team-leading seventh of the season, which also brought her 2024 point total to a team-leading 19.

Goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks has a eight shutouts, a 0.75 goals-against average, and an .848 save percentage in net.

Saturday's meeting between the two schools will be the 13th all-time and second this season. Rutgers holds a 9-2-1 edge in the series, which dates back to 2004. MSU and Rutgers have never met in the Big Ten Tournament.

The Spartans and Scarlet Knights played to a 1-1 draw in East Lansing on Sept. 29 this season. After a defensive battle through the first 80 minutes, MSU broke the ice with 10 minutes to go to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. In the 86th minute, a handball by the Spartans in the box awarded Rutgers a penalty kick that was slotted home by redshirt freshman Gabriela Gil to seal the 1-1 result - matching Rutgers' best result against a No. 1 ranked team.

IV

BEST IN THE B1G

Rutgers women's soccer placed three Scarlet Knights on the 2024 All-Big Ten awards, announced by the conference office on Friday. Senior Emily Mason has been named to the All-Big Ten First Team, senior Riley Tiernan is on the Second Team, and Shaela Bradley has been selected to the All-Freshman Team. Senior Kassidy Banks earned the team's Sportsmanship Award.

V

BODMER'S BOX

Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer has done her part on the defensive unit leading to 0.71 goals allowed per game. Bodmer ranks fifth in the Big Ten with her seven solo shutouts. Her 0.71 goals-against average ranks 37th in the nation and sixth 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 second in the Big Ten with her nine 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 32nd career assist against Maryland moved her into eighth place in the all-time Big Ten record book and her 17 points this season gave her 70 points for her career, good for sixth in Rutgers history.

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 early this season.

Freshman midfielder Shaela Bradley, who has started all 17 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 second on the team with 11 points on four 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

BARAN BANGERS

Sophomore striker Ashley Baran scored her first collegiate hat trick against Nebraska 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."

IX

YOUNG MINUTES

Rutgers has sported three true freshmen in starting lineup  in forward Shaela Bradley, back Claire Hammill, and midfielder Mikayla Mandleur. The following freshmen or redshirt freshmen also have minutes through the 2024 season: Gabriela Gil, Reilly McGlinn, 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 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 17 matches in the midfield and has contributed plenty to the 0.71 goals-against average. Sophomore Tsokos has 15 starts in 17 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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