Thursday, November 7
St. Louis, Mo. / CITYPARK
3:00 PM
Rutgers University
11-3-5, 6-2-3
1
vs
1
USC
15-1-3, 10-0-1
1
2
3
4
5
F
Rutgers
0
1
0
0
0
1
Southern California
0
1
0
0
0
1
Women's Soccer Advances to B1G Tournament Championship in PK Shootout
Nov 07 | Women's Soccer
After an eight-save 110 minutes, Rutgers goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer made three consecutive saves in the shootout to clinch the 3-0 penalty kick win to advance
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – It was never improbable because they stuck together.
Down 1-0 and down a player, Rutgers women's soccer (11-3-5) advanced to the Big Ten Tournament Championship after defeating top-seeded and No. 4 ranked USC (15-1-3) in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals at CITYPARK, the home of MLS team St. Louis City SC.
The Scarlet Knights and Trojans drew 1-1 after 110 minutes of playoff soccer then won the penalty shootout by an unheard-of 3-0 margin after three makes by Emily Mason, Shaela Bradley, and Allie Post and three saves by Olivia Bodmer.
The Scarlet Knights qualify for their fourth Big Ten Tournament Championship, set for Sun., Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. CT) at CITYPARK in St. Louis, Missouri against two-seed and No. 9 ranked UCLA.
USC scored the opening goal 1:10 into the second half. Just three minutes after Rutgers went down a player due to a red card in the 49th minute, the Scarlet Knights showed what would become 61 minutes of pure fight and Jersey grit.
In the 52nd, Emily Mason played a long ball into USC territory. It was expertly flicked on by Sydney Urban for Ashley Baran, who attacked the space and slotted a right-footed shot into the side netting from a tough angle for the equalizer.
"If we were meant to lose, we would have when we were down a goal and down a player," Mason said. "We worked our butts off to get tied and stay even with them. My penalty goal represented the whole team's success and hard work."
The red card caught up toward the end of the second half as USC controlled possession and ended up outshooting RU, 13-5, during the period. But Rutgers never relented, with Mason, Kassidy Banks, Claire Hammill, and Patricia Tsokos holding the backline strong in front of Bodmer, who made eight saves overall in regulation and overtime.
Into overtime, USC continued dominating possession and outshot Rutgers, 8-0, during the 20 minutes of extra time. Bodmer made three stops in overtime to force the winning penalty shootout.
"When you go down to 10 players, you have to be confident in your defense, the habits, and the details," said head coach Mike O'Neill. "What's so important to us is the heart and the way they battle. It's been a 31 strong and next player up mentality all season long."
Olivia Bodmer made three saves in the opening half, while Allie Post and Riley Tiernan took shots on goal during the first 45 minutes heading into a scoreless halftime.
NOTES
Follow Rutgers women's soccer on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Download the Scarlet Knights App for Apple or Android today.
- RU –
Down 1-0 and down a player, Rutgers women's soccer (11-3-5) advanced to the Big Ten Tournament Championship after defeating top-seeded and No. 4 ranked USC (15-1-3) in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals at CITYPARK, the home of MLS team St. Louis City SC.
The Scarlet Knights and Trojans drew 1-1 after 110 minutes of playoff soccer then won the penalty shootout by an unheard-of 3-0 margin after three makes by Emily Mason, Shaela Bradley, and Allie Post and three saves by Olivia Bodmer.
THREE STRAIGHT PK SAVES 😱
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 7, 2024
Watch Olivia Bodmer's PK-saving masterclass in @RUWSoccer's semifinal win in the @bigten tournament 🤩#B1GWSoccer on @BigTenNetwork 📺 pic.twitter.com/LG5rpgw8rO
"I couldn't do it without them. They're the best team in the world. They help me get better every day and they're the best teammates I can ask for."
— RUTGERS WOMEN'S SOCCER (@RUWSoccer) November 7, 2024
The Superhuman Olivia Bodmer pic.twitter.com/ddt2ReH6Eh
The Scarlet Knights qualify for their fourth Big Ten Tournament Championship, set for Sun., Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. CT) at CITYPARK in St. Louis, Missouri against two-seed and No. 9 ranked UCLA.
USC scored the opening goal 1:10 into the second half. Just three minutes after Rutgers went down a player due to a red card in the 49th minute, the Scarlet Knights showed what would become 61 minutes of pure fight and Jersey grit.
In the 52nd, Emily Mason played a long ball into USC territory. It was expertly flicked on by Sydney Urban for Ashley Baran, who attacked the space and slotted a right-footed shot into the side netting from a tough angle for the equalizer.
Ashley Baran finds the equalizer for @RUWSoccer 🔥
— Big Ten Soccer (@B1GSoccer) November 7, 2024
This one is all tied up in the second half 👀#B1GWSoccer on @BigTenNetwork 📺 pic.twitter.com/jxJ6gfoqE0
"If we were meant to lose, we would have when we were down a goal and down a player," Mason said. "We worked our butts off to get tied and stay even with them. My penalty goal represented the whole team's success and hard work."
The red card caught up toward the end of the second half as USC controlled possession and ended up outshooting RU, 13-5, during the period. But Rutgers never relented, with Mason, Kassidy Banks, Claire Hammill, and Patricia Tsokos holding the backline strong in front of Bodmer, who made eight saves overall in regulation and overtime.
Into overtime, USC continued dominating possession and outshot Rutgers, 8-0, during the 20 minutes of extra time. Bodmer made three stops in overtime to force the winning penalty shootout.
"When you go down to 10 players, you have to be confident in your defense, the habits, and the details," said head coach Mike O'Neill. "What's so important to us is the heart and the way they battle. It's been a 31 strong and next player up mentality all season long."
Olivia Bodmer made three saves in the opening half, while Allie Post and Riley Tiernan took shots on goal during the first 45 minutes heading into a scoreless halftime.
NOTES
- Rutgers qualifies for its fourth Big Ten Tournament Championship since joining the league in 2014, and first since 2021. The Scarlet Knights won their 10th Big Ten Tournament match over that span.
- Rutgers defeated a top-5 team for the first time since 2019
- Rutgers won its first penalty shootout since advancing to the 2021 College Cup with a 4-2 PK win over Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals at Yurcak Field.
- Rutgers has won three of its last four penalty shootouts dating back to 2021.
- Sophomore Ashley Baran now leads the team with six goals this season and has nine for her career.
- Career assists: Sydney Urban (2), Emily Mason (7)
- The Scarlet Knights met the Trojans once in their history 20 years ago, when USC won a 3-2, double-overtime thriller in California.
Follow Rutgers women's soccer on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Download the Scarlet Knights App for Apple or Android today.
- RU –
Team Stats
RUT
USC
Goals
1
1
Shots
11
26
Shots on Goal
5
9
Saves
7
4
Corners
3
10
Fouls
13
6
Scoring Plays
Simone Jackson (3)
Assisted By: Hannah Griffin
GOAL by USC Jackson, Simone Assist by Griffin, Hannah.
46:10
Ashley Baran (6)
Assisted By: Sydney Urban , Emily Mason
GOAL by RUT Baran, Ashley Assist by Urban, Sydney and Mason, Emily.
51:22
Game Leaders
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
4
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
B
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
B
/ Women's SoccerB
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's SoccerD/M
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