Rutgers women's soccer faces last road test against Purdue before home game against Illinois
The Rutgers women's soccer team will face Purdue and Illinois this week. The Scarlet Knights (9-2-3, 5-1-2) will try to get back on track this week after suffering their first conference loss of the year against Iowa.
The Hawkeyes (11-1-3, 6-1-1) defeated Rutgers 2-0 last Sunday afternoon after the team struggled to find the back of the net over the course of the match. With a shutout, Iowa snapped the Knights' nine-game unbeaten streak.
Still, Rutgers had an impressive last few weeks, with multiple team members receiving honors. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer and senior defender Emily Mason received national recognition in the Top 100 College Soccer Player Rankings. Mason ranks seventh in the country, while Bodmer comes in at 58th.
Despite suffering a defeat, the Knights battled against the Hawkeyes. Senior forward Riley Tiernan put up four shots, while sophomore forward Ashley Baran and junior midfielder Allie Post totaled three shots each. These three attacking players have been crucial to Rutgers' offensive success and will look to continue to be so this week.
This Thursday night's matchup between the Knights and the Boilermakers (6-7-2, 2-5-1) in West Lafayette, Indiana, will mark Rutgers' final away game of the regular season. Purdue will be coming into the match hungry to avenge its 4-2 loss to Ohio State last Sunday.
Chiara Singarella, who has led the Boilermakers with 5 goals this season, is a significant offensive threat for Purdue. One of the Boilermakers' 2 goals in their game against the Buckeyes (10-2-3, 5-1-2) came off the foot of Singarella.
This season, Purdue has not had the best of luck against conference opponents. The Boilermakers have only won two conference games against Northwestern and Oregon last month.
In the program's history, the Knights are undefeated against Purdue. With the exception of a 2015 draw, Rutgers has defeated the Boilermakers in all meetings between the two, including a 1-0 victory at home last season.
Following the Knights' game against Purdue, Rutgers will return home to face off against the Fighting Illini (6-7-2, 2-5-1) on Sunday at Yurcak Field on Busch campus. Illinois has the exact same record as the Boilermakers with only two conference wins this season.
The Fighting Illini will meet with Indiana before traveling to Piscataway this weekend. Illinois recently suffered a 3-1 setback to UCLA last Sunday. With 26 goals scored so far this season, though, the Fighting Illini have fared impressively offensively even though they haven't been able to find much success against Big Ten foes.
Junior forward Sarah Foley has 8 goals for the team, placing her within the top 50 in the nation for goals scored this season. Izzy Lee has served as Illinois' only goalkeeper this season, collecting 78 saves. Lee figures to make her 16th start against the Knights.
Rutgers still has three games remaining in the season, which means three chances for the Knights to improve their record in the standings ahead of the Big Ten Tournament beginning on October 31.
Rutgers' kickoff with Purdue is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday with the game being broadcast on Big Ten Plus. Sunday's game against the Fighting Illini is set for 1 p.m. at Yurcak Field with the game being broadcast on Big Ten Plus and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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