Women’s Soccer Visits No. 4 UCLA

LOS ANGELES – Rutgers ladies’s soccer heads west for a top-five highway match at No. 4 UCLA, set for 10:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. 

Match Details

Rutgers (3-1-4, 1-1-1) at No. 4 UCLA (6-2-1, 2-0-1)

10:30 p.m. ET | Thursday, Sep. 25

Wallis Annenberg Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.) 

Stream: Big Ten Network | Christian Miles (PxP) and Tracey Bailey (Analyst) 

Head Coach Mike O’Neill leads the Scarlet Knights in his twelfth season, because the Scarlet Knights certified for his or her thirteenth consecutive NCAA Tournament in 2024 with an 11-win marketing campaign and look within the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. They have certified for the convention match all 11 years within the Big Ten. 

The 2025 Scarlet Knights  

The 2025 roster encompasses a whole of 29 gamers, with 15 returners and 14 newcomers. Of the 14 newcomers, 9 are true freshmen and 5 are four-year transfers. Head Coach Mike O’Neill enters his twelfth season on the helm of this system and has reached the NCAA Tournament all 11 seasons to date. 

O’Neill’s teaching workers stays intact, with affiliate head coach Lubos Ancin, assistant coach Madison Tiernan and assistant coach Ryan Nigro all returning. The group – together with Director of Operations Trish DiPaolo – has served collectively on the workers for six straight seasons.

Last Time Out  

Rutgers bought again on monitor with a 2-0 win over Indiana to earn its first Big Ten win of the season. Nata Ramirez scored her team-best third objective of the season and Kennedi Cotter notched a pair of assists within the victory.

Bodmer within the Back 

Goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer is among the finest within the nation, considered one of simply three goalies nationally to be named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist.

Bodmer owns 32 saves throughout 5 matches this season, with 4 shutouts and simply 4 targets allowed, bringing her profession totals to twenty shutouts and 178 saves. Her .889 save proportion is twentieth within the nation, her 4.57 saves per recreation are second within the Big Ten and her .571 GAA are fourth within the convention.

Ramirez’s Instant Impact

Graduate switch Nata Ramirez has been the sparkplug for the Rutgers assault this season.

Ramirez paces the crew with eight factors, together with a team-high three targets and a pair of assists – tied for the crew lead. Two of her three targets (Indiana, Fairfield) had been recreation winners.

Hailey’s Motor 

True freshman Lindsey Hailey is the one participant on the crew to have performed all 90 minutes in each match this season, having began each contest at heart again. 

Hailey has helped RU submit 5 shutouts in its first eight matches, together with no photographs on objective allowed in opposition to NJIT.

In addition to her defensive contributions, Hailey helped put away the win in opposition to Fairfield when she pounced on a free ball on a nook kick to offer Rutgers a 2-0 lead in opposition to the Stags. Hailey has helped anchor a again line that’s nineteenth within the nation with a .500 GAA.

Coming out Strong

Rutgers has made a behavior of beginning off robust this season, outscoring its opponents 6-0 within the first half. 

Additionally, RU has outshot the opposition 53-33 within the first 45 minutes with a 21-16 benefit in nook kicks.

The Captains 

Head coach Mike O’Neill named GK Olivia Bodmer, M Gabriela Gil and M/F Allie Post because the crew’s captains for 2025.  Bodmer is a two-time captain and one of many high goalies within the nation, being named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist. Gil returns to the sphere this yr after lacking the final eight matches of 2024 with damage, however was nonetheless ranked the No. 32 freshman within the nation by TopDrawerSoccer and earned a Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor in October. Post has essentially the most Rutgers expertise of any returner, getting into the season with 50 video games of expertise and 26 begins, proudly owning 5 profession targets and 6 assists.

Fresh Faces

Against Princeton and Fairfield, RU put out a beginning XI that featured eight newcomers, together with three freshman. 

Three of the crew’s six targets have come from three completely different true freshmen – Kennedi Cotter, Lindsey Hailey and Sophia Stiles.

This yr, 9 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/ahead Nata Ramirez had been all named Big Ten Players to Watch by the convention. 

Baran led the Scarlet Knights in 2024 with six targets, including an help to offer her 13 factors on the season, second-most on the crew. Starting all 21 video games at goalkeeper in 2024, Bodmer posted seven solo (eight mixed) shutouts, a 0.99 GAA and made 73 saves. Ramirez was named First Team All-Ivy and Second Team All-Region in 2024 after main the Columbia with each seven targets and eight assists for 22 factors on the marketing campaign.

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