CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Rutgers women's soccer is back on the road for another pair of matches away from home, starting with a Thursday night showdown at Illinois, set for 8 p.m. ET. 

Match Details
Rutgers (3-4-4, 1-4-1) at Illinois (10-2-1, 3-2-1)
8 p.m. | Thursday, Oct. 9
Demirjian Park (Champaign, Ill.)
Stream: B1G+ | Tony Fanara and Drew Arnopolin
 
Head Coach Mike O'Neill leads the Scarlet Knights in his 12th season, as the Scarlet Knights qualified for their 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament in 2024 with an 11-win campaign and appearance in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. They have qualified for the conference tournament all 11 years in the Big Ten. 

The 2025 Scarlet Knights  

The 2025 roster features a total of 29 players, with 15 returners and 14 newcomers. Of the 14 newcomers, nine are true freshmen and five are four-year transfers. Head Coach Mike O'Neill enters his 12th season at the helm of the program and has reached the NCAA Tournament all 11 seasons so far. 

O'Neill's coaching staff remains intact, with associate head coach Lubos Ancin, assistant coach Madison Tiernan and assistant coach Ryan Nigro all returning. The group – along with Director of Operations Trish DiPaolo – has served together on the staff for six straight seasons.

Last Time Out  
Rutgers dropped a 2-1 decision at home against Penn State in its lone match last weekend.

Kennedi Cotter scored her second goal of the season, Julia Joseph recorded her first career assist and Olivia Bodmer matched her season high with eight saves.

Bodmer in the Back 
Goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer is one of the best in the country, one of just three goalies nationally to be named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist.

Bodmer owns 49 saves across nine matches this season, with four shutouts, bringing her career totals to 20 shutouts and 195 saves. 

Bodmer is just five saves shy of 200 in her career. She would become just the ninth player in program history to reach that mark.

Her 195 saves are ninth in program history, trailing Casey Murphy (216 - 8th).

Ramirez's Instant Impact
Graduate transfer Nata Ramirez has been the sparkplug for the Rutgers attack this season.

Ramirez paces the team with eight points, including a team-high three goals and a pair of assists – tied for the team lead. 

Two of her three goals (Indiana, Fairfield) were game winners.

Hailey's Motor 
True freshman Lindsey Hailey is the only player on the team to have played all 90 minutes in every match this season, having started every contest at center back.

Hailey is one of just two freshmen in the country to have played every minute for their team this season, joining Troy's Isabella Hartofelis.

Hailey has helped RU post five shutouts in its first 11 matches, including no shots on goal allowed against NJIT.

In addition to her defensive contributions, Hailey helped put away the win against Fairfield when she pounced on a loose ball on a corner kick to give Rutgers a 2-0 lead against the Stags. 

Coming out Strong
Rutgers has made a habit of starting off strong this season, outscoring its opponents 6-3 in the first half. 

The Captains 
Head coach Mike O'Neill named GK Olivia Bodmer, M Gabriela Gil and M/F Allie Post as the team's captains for 2025.  Bodmer is a two-time captain and one of the top goalies in the country, being named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist. Gil returns to the field this year after missing the last eight matches of 2024 with injury, but was still ranked the No. 32 freshman in the country by TopDrawerSoccer and earned a Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor in October. Post has the most Rutgers experience of any returner, entering the season with 50 games of experience and 26 starts, owning five career goals and six assists.

Fresh Faces
Against Princeton and Fairfield, RU put out a starting XI that featured eight newcomers, including three freshmen. 

Three of the team's six goals have come from three different true freshmen – Kennedi Cotter, Lindsey Hailey and Sophia Stiles.

This year, nine Scarlet Knights have made their collegiate debut and 14 have made their Rutgers debut.

Big Ten Players to Watch 
Forward Ashley Baran, goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer and midfielder/forward Nata Ramirez were all named Big Ten Players to Watch by the conference. 

Baran led the Scarlet Knights in 2024 with six goals, adding an assist to give her 13 points on the season, second-most on the team. Starting all 21 games at goalkeeper in 2024, Bodmer posted seven solo (eight combined) shutouts, a 0.99 GAA and made 73 saves. Ramirez was named First Team All-Ivy and Second Team All-Region in 2024 after leading the Columbia with both seven goals and eight assists for 22 points on the campaign.

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