Rutgers women's soccer to open up conference play against Indiana
The Rutgers women's soccer team will open up conference play with a road game against Indiana on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights (4-2-2, 0-0-0) are looking to extend their win streak to three games and open up Big Ten play with a victory.
The Hoosiers (6-0-2, 0-0-0) are coming into this game off the heels of a 6-0 victory against Hanover and are currently undefeated.
Rutgers defeated Indiana by a score of 1-0 last season. The Knights hold a 7-1-1 all-time record over the Hoosiers, with Rutgers' only loss coming from the 2020 matchup.
Indiana has had a strong start to the season, as it is outscoring its opponents 19-3 across 8 of its 10 games so far this season. The Hoosiers attack has taken a big step up from last year, as they only managed to score 11 goals all last season. The Knights' backline will need to stay organized when facing off against Indiana's attackers.
Rutgers' backline and midfield will need to key in on Paige Webber and Anna Bennett. Webber has already scored 9 goals, accounting for nearly half of the Hoosiers' total goal count. Bennett has scored just 1 goal but has proven to be a prolific passer, tallying seven assists.
Handling the goalkeeping duties for Indiana will most likely be Jamie Gerstenberg. Gerstenberg has started every game this season and has played almost every minute. She has allowed just 3 goals and has recorded 13 saves for an 81.3 percent save percentage.
The Knights will need to lean heavily on sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer. Bodmer has started every game this season, racked up 23 saves and earned an 85.2 percent save percentage. Bodmer has remained stout when the attack has struggled and has consistently kept the team within striking distance.
Rutgers' attack has struggled in the majority of its out-of-conference games. The Knights have scored 12 goals on the year, 7 of which came from one game. Besides the 7-goal performance against Fairleigh Dickinson, Rutgers has averaged 1.50 goals per game and has been shut out three times.
Senior attacker Allison Lowrey leads the Knights with 6 goals thus far, which comprises half of the team's total. Rutgers will look for Lowrey to add to her tally while also hoping junior forward Riley Tiernan and graduate student forward Gia Vicari get involved in the goal-scoring opportunities.
A road victory in the Big Ten would be a great sign for the Knights as they continue to build some confidence and momentum after a somewhat disappointing start to this season.
The game will take place in Bloomington, Indiana, at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
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