With Olivia Bodmer Protecting Net, Rutgers Soccer in Good Hands
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Head Coach Mike O'Neill's Rutgers Women's Soccer team is no stranger to exceeding preseason expectations. Picked to finish seventh last season, the Scarlet Knights finished 5th with a 6-2-3 conference record, en route to a deep Big Ten Championship run, knocking off No. 16 Michigan State and No. 4 USC before falling to UCLA in the championship match, followed by a first-round exit against the UCONN Huskies in the NCAA Tournament.
Rutgers Picked for Middle of the Pack in 2025 Preseason Poll
This season, Rutgers finds itself picked No. 8 in the Big Ten preseason poll as it attempts to return to the championship game, with USC projected at No. 1, followed by hometown rival UCLA at No. 2, Penn State at No. 3, and Michigan State at No. 4. How well Rutgers performs will likely come down to how far star junior keeper and co-captain Olivia Bodmer and her back line can take them.
The Monroe, NJ native heads into her redshirt junior season following a successful 2024 campaign, during which she was named Third Team All-North Region and a member of the Big Ten All-Tournament Team. Most notably, Bodmer posted seven consecutive shutouts as Rutgers rolled off ten successive wins and entered the national spotlight.
Rutger's Success Hinges on Bodmer Taking Another Leap Forward
Bodmer finished with a .99 goals against average, but in a star-studded conference of top defenders and even better goalies, she will need to be even stronger this season if Rutgers is to make a deep postseason run. Despite an athletic program that has struggled mightily to compete as a Big Ten member, the women's soccer team is a model of consistency, earning 13 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, but make no mistake - this Rutgers squad expects to compete for a conference championship.
In addition to Bodmer, Rutgers boasts elite talent at multiple positions, including co-captain/midfielders Gabriela Gil and Allie Post. Gil was one of the top-performing midfielders in the conference last season, helping fuel the transition from defense to attack. Post saw her role increase in 2024, playing in all 21 matches and starting 18 of them. She tallied four goals on the season, good for second on the team and providing a capable scoring threat.
Baran and Ramirez Named Players To Watch This Season
The conference names three players from each school to watch in the upcoming season. In addition to Bodmer, junior forward Ashley Baran and graduate transfer Nata Ramirez were named to the watch list.
Baran was the Scarlet Knights' most dangerous offensive threat in 2024 with six goals and one assist. Ramirez starred at Columbia and was named a First Team All-Ivy after a prolific season leading the Lions with seven goals and eight assists. With the graduation of lethal attacker Riley Tiernan, who is now tearing it up for Angel City, Rutgers will need to field a dynamic combo that can keep opposing defenses honest.
The Knights open play Thursday evening at Yurcak Field versus local rival NJIT, streaming on B1G+ at 7pm.
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John Catapano graduated from Rutgers in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, covering the women’s field hockey and soccer teams for the campus paper, The Daily Targum. After college, he moved to Los Angeles, got a job at Walt Disney Television, and has worked in media ever since. John currently works with the Wasserman Media Group in their Brooklyn, NY office, collaborating with brands, influencers, and athletes across the globe. When the pandemic struck in 2020 and Catapano began working remotely, he resumed writing by contributing to a Rutgers fan blog. He covered various sports, highlighted human interest stories, and focused on topics that Scarlet Nation wanted to discuss. It’s never easy being a Rutgers fan, but with over 500,000 alumni living worldwide and a passionate fanbase, covering the Scarlet Knights is always engaging.