The 2025 Rutgers Women’s Soccer season was one that Rutgers may want to leave in the past.
For the Scarlet Knights, the 2025 season saw only four wins, all of them at home, seven losses, and five draws. This record marked the first time the Scarlet Knights failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament since 2011.
At the head of this team is Head Coach Mike O’Neill, currently entering his 13th season with the women’s soccer team. Throughout his career at Rutgers, he has been able to lead them to a Big Ten Championship during his 2021 campaign and 12 NCAA tournament appearances. However, this season he is tasked with finding a way to bounce back from the 2025 season.
Recruiting Class
This season, Rutgers brought in seven freshmen to the team:
- Lilia Calvert (Forward, Abington Heights)
- Bea Tinoco (Forward, Middletown South)
- Tommi Rose Valente (Midfielder, DePaul Catholic)
- Gesare Omwenga (Defender, Crossroads FLEX)
- Amanda Thornton (Forward, Chatman)
- Dina Bojkovic (Forward, Livingston)
- Marian Dunne (Forward, Jesuit High school)
Overall, Rutgers focused on offensive players that could bring a young attacking force to help rebuild this offense.
Key Players
Ashley Baran
With the loss of seniors and transfers, Ashley Baran is the team’s leading senior forward this season. Last season, Baran led the team in goals, playing in all 16 games and scoring four goals. She has scored 13 goals throughout her collegiate career and will look to surpass her previous goal totals this season.
She also earned 2025 Big Ten Player to Watch honors.
Olivia Bodmer
This season, Olivia Bodmer returns to the Scarlet Knights roster as a redshirt senior. Last season, she recorded 64 saves while allowing 19 goals. Her experience could be the helping hand for the defense as Rutgers looks to improve their record this season.
Schedule
The Scarlet Knights begin their season with two scrimmages at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, New Jersey.
- vs. Pittsburgh — Aug. 5 at 12 p.m.
- vs. Georgetown — Aug. 8 at 5 p.m.
Following the scrimmages, the Scarlet Knights officially begin their season with a series of away games. The first comes in Knoxville, Tennessee, against the University of Tennessee.
Then the following two games are:
- at UConn — Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
- at Fairfield — Aug. 23 at 2 p.m.
These first few non-conference games away from home will definitely offer a real test to this squad and will be a strong indicator of whether they are ready to compete against their conference opponents later in the season.
Finally, the Scarlet Knights will host Boston College in their home opener at Yurcak Field in Piscataway on August 27 at 7 p.m.
For the full Rutgers women’s soccer schedule, visit https://scarletknights.com/sports/womens-soccer/schedule.
The schedule is set, and now the Rutgers Scarlet Knights begin their quest to return to the NCAA DI Women’s Soccer Tournament.
