PRINCETON, N.J. – Rutgers women's soccer hits the road for the first time in 2025 when it visits in-state rival Princeton on Friday evening . 

Match Details
Rutgers (2-0) at Princeton (0-0)
5 p.m. | Friday, Aug. 22
Roberts Stadium (Princeton, N.J.) 
Stream: ESPN+ (Jeff O'Connor & Riliegh McHugh)

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. 

Last Time Out
Rutgers picked up a pair of shutout wins to open the season, downing NJIT 3-0 in the season opener last Thursday and Fairfield 2-0 on Sunday. Five different Scarlet Knights have found the back of the net, with Patricia Tsokos, Ashley Baran and Sophia Stiles scoring against the Highlanders. Nata Ramirez and Lindsey Hailey each scored in the first half against the Stags. Olivia Bodmer returned against Fairfield after missing the first game and made seven saves and picked up her 17th career shutout. 

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.

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 picked up seven saves in her season debut to secure her 17th career shutout and eclipse the 150 career save mark.

Ramirez's instant Impact

Graduate transfer Nata Ramirez has been the sparkplug for the Rutgers attack through two matches. Against NJIT, Ramirez collected a pair of assists in the 3-0 win. She followed that up with the game-winning goal against Fairfield to give her a team-best four points on the young season.

Hailey's Motor 

True freshman Lindsey Hailey is the only player on the team to have played all 90 minutes in both matches this season, starting both at center back. Hailey has helped RU post a pair of shutouts, 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.

Danger on Set Pieces 

Rutgers has been dangerous on set pieces, scoring three of their five goals as a result of corner kicks.  Against NJIT, Sophia Stiles headed a near Olimpico from Nata Ramirez. Against Fairfield, Ramirez chipped in a long shot after a corner and Lindsey Hailey slammed in a rebound after another near-Olimpico from Olivia Russomanno.

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 Fairfield, RU put out a starting XI that featured eight newcomers, including three freshman.  Through two matches, nine Scarlet Knights have made their collegiate debut and 14 have made their Rutgers debut.

Captains
O'Neill recently named Olivia Bodmer, Gabriela Gil and Allie Post as team captains for the Scarlet Knights in 2025. 

The trio has played a key part in the Scarlet Knights continuing their streak of 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. 
 
"Olivia, Gabi and Allie exemplify what it means to be captains in the Rutgers Women's Soccer program," O'Neill said. "Their leadership set the standard for our team culture—built on trust, accountability and a relentless effort on a daily basis. Through their voice, positive example, and unwavering dedication, they've established an environment where every player is supported and driven to compete together to win the day."

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.

Scouting the Schedule 
The Scarlet Knights are set to take on nine teams that qualified for last season's NCAA Tournament, including three nonconference foes in Fairfield, Princeton and UConn as well as defending Big Ten champions UCLA. 

Additional nonconference home matches include Air Force on Aug. 24 at 2 p.m. and UConn on Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. The Scarlet Knights will travel to Princeton on Aug. 22 and Providence on Sept. 6 before entering the Big Ten portion of their schedule. 
 
Conference play kicks off against Michigan State at Yurcak Field on Sept. 12 and RU will have five total home Big Ten matches and six away matches. The full conference schedule is Michigan State (Sept. 12), at Minnesota (Sep. 18),  Indiana (Sept. 21), at UCLA (Sept. 25), at USC (Sept. 28), Penn State (Oct. 4 or 5), at Illinois (Oct. 9), at Northwestern (Oct. 12), Ohio State (Oct. 16), Michigan (Oct. 19) and at Maryland (Oct. 26). 
 

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