Rutgers women's soccer set to hit road to face Nebraska, Iowa
The Rutgers women's soccer team will go on the road to face two Big Ten opponents this week. The Scarlet Knights (5-4-2, 1-2-0) are looking to build off their first conference victory of the season in a match over Purdue at home last Sunday. The two opponents that await Rutgers this week are Nebraska and Iowa.
First up for the Knights is their match against the Cornhuskers (7-2-2, 1-1-1), set for Thursday. Nebraska opened up its 2023 season red hot and even held a national ranking of No. 24 two weeks ago. But in their last four matches, the Cornhuskers have cooled down as they've picked up just one win in that span.
A player that Rutgers will need to keep in check is Nebraska's Eleanor Dale, who is currently the top goal scorer in the entire country. Despite being held scoreless in her last two games, Dale has an impressive 13 goals on the season in her 11 games played. She has also tallied two assists on the year.
The Cornhuskers are ranked eighth in the country in goals scored, so redshirt freshman goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer and the rest of the Knights' defense will have their hands full in this one.
The following match for Rutgers will be Sunday against the Hawkeyes (6-1-3, 0-1-2), who, pending a result in their own Thursday game, may be searching for their first conference victory when the Knights come to town.
Iowa has picked up just one win in its last five games, but it drew with No. 22 Virginia and Big Ten opponents Illinois and Minnesota in that span. While the team hasn't gotten in the win column much recently, the Hawkeyes have hung tough in their games.
The defense has been vital for Iowa. The Hawkeyes have given up 3 goals through 10 games so far this season, giving them a goals-against average of .300, which is tied for the fourth-best in the nation.
Macy Enneking has been the key for the defense, as she has been stellar in goal for Iowa. She has started in every game thus far, recorded 29 total saves and currently has six shutouts on the year.
On the offensive side, the scoring comes from many different areas, as the leading goal scorer for the Hawkeyes is Elle Otto, who’s scored 3 goals this season. Iowa as a team has only scored 14 goals, but those goals have come from nine different players.
The Rutgers offense has been a bit slow this season, averaging 1.45 goals per game. This average includes a bit of an outlier, as the Knights had a 7-goal performance against Fairleigh Dickinson earlier in the season. Outside of that game, the team hasn’t had much going for its attack.
Look for junior forward Riley Tiernan and senior forward Allison Lowrey to try and turn that around for Rutgers. Tiernan just tallied her 50th career point last game, while Lowrey is currently the team leader in goals with 6 on the season.
The Knights seek a pair of victories this week to get to a positive record in Big Ten play and build some momentum moving forward.
Thursday’s match against Nebraska will kick off at 8 p.m. and be broadcast on Big Ten Network. Sunday's contest against the Hawkeyes will take place at 1 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
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