Olivia Bodmer leads Rutgers women's soccer to tie with No. 19 Penn State
The Rutgers women's soccer team tied 1-1 on the road for the second straight game, extending its undefeated run to nine games. The Scarlet Knights (8-1-3, 4-0-2) played well against a strong Penn State team on Friday night.
The Nittany Lions (9-3-2, 3-2-1) have found success early in their games, scoring 8 goals in the opening 15 minutes. Kaitlyn MacBean scored the 8th goal of the aforementioned stat in the 4th minute for No. 19 Penn State, with Amelia White earning the assist. Overall, MacBean now has 11 goals this season, which is tied for second-most in the Big Ten.
The Nittany Lions got the best of redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer, the reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week. It was also the first time this season that Rutgers had conceded in the first half.
The second half delivered another early goal, this time from the Knights. Freshman midfielder Shaela Bradley dribbled past three players and took a shot from the top of the box into the bottom left corner. In only her first year, Bradley has started every game this season and now has 3 goals, one less than leading goal scorer Allie Post.
Penn State almost retook the lead but blew the chance to capitalize on an open goal. The onslaught continued when MacBean was one-on-one against senior defender Emily Mason, but her shot fell right into the hands of Bodmer.
Bodmer finished the game with nine crucial saves, tying her career high.
Rutgers ends its three-game away spell with five points after a win against Michigan, a draw against Michigan State, who was ranked No. 1 at the time and a tie with the Nittany Lions. These results will likely get the Knights nationally ranked next week.
Rutgers will now return to Yurcak Field on Busch campus for a game against Nebraska on Thursday night. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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