It was a gritty and physical battle in Lincoln, Nebraska on Thursday night between the Scarlet Knights and the Cornhuskers. A full intense 90-minute battle ended in a 2-2 draw with both teams seeing lots of offensive and defensive action.
Rutgers goaltender Olivia Bodmer was the star of the show as she recorded nine saves in the showdown. From shots in the air to shots on the ground, Bodmer was all over them.
It was a career night for @RUWSoccer’s Olivia Bodmer in their 2-2 tie against Nebraska. 👏 pic.twitter.com/QvUSBkPmR3
— Big Ten Soccer (@B1GSoccer) September 29, 2023
Scoring Recap
It didn’t take long for the action to start as the Scarlet Knights got on the board just over four minutes into the match. A beauty from outside the box to the left side of the goal by Sara Brocious.
A beaut from Brocious on @BigTenNetwork😱#ForeverRutgers🧹#GoRU! pic.twitter.com/n9dTpXOCv5
— RUTGERS WOMEN’S SOCCER (@RUWSoccer) September 29, 2023
Just as soon as the Scarlet Knights had got the lead it was gone. Nebraska netted the equalizer just two minutes later off of a penalty kick outside of the box that just got past Bodmer’s finger tips.
7' | GOAAALLL! ELEANOR DALE TIES IT UP AT 1!! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/eEhPBs2uac
— Nebraska Soccer (@HuskerSoccer) September 29, 2023
The scoring quieted down until 22:35 into the match when the Scarlet Knights regained the lead. Allison Lowrey had a great individual effort to keep the ball in play before she crossed it across the net to a storming Sam Kroger. Kroger with one touch was able to get it by Nebraska’s goaltender and into the back of the net.
"RUTGERS RELENTLESS!"
Sam Kroeger makes it 2-1 off the assists from Tiernan and Lowrey!#ForeverRutgers🧹#GoRU! pic.twitter.com/WFLOFxIkdq
— RUTGERS WOMEN’S SOCCER (@RUWSoccer) September 29, 2023
As the saying goes “all good things must come to an end” as the Cornhuskers equalized the score once again in the 42nd minute. A gorgeous finish by Nebraska through traffic set the match a 2-2.
43' | MAKE THAT A BRACE FOR ELEANOR DALE!! 😤
That goal puts her back on top as the leading goalscorer in the nation. pic.twitter.com/tusYBLIgmv
— Nebraska Soccer (@HuskerSoccer) September 29, 2023
There was plenty of action seen the rest of the match but neither team could find the back of the net again. A great showdown in Nebraska unfortunately ended with no true winner.
Breaking it down
There was no shortage of action between these two Big Ten foes, but the Scarlet Knights were consistently outshot during the matchup. The Cornhuskers were able to release 30 shots in total and 11 on net. Thankfully Bodmer had a career night with her nine saves to keep the Scarlet Knights in the game.
On top of the shot advantage, Rutgers also allowed 11 corner kicks by Nebraska compared to their measly one. Fortunately the Scarlet Knights didn’t allow the Cornhuskers to capitalize, but way too many opportunities were given.
As mentioned before, this was a very physical battle between these two teams and it was definitely evident on the stat sheet. Rutgers was penalized 12 times and Nebraska seven for their aggressive play.
Despite no one coming out on top, soccer fans across the country were given a real treat of a match on live tv. With so much fight, action and intensity shown on the field one can only hope that the Scarlet Knights bring that same energy to every match for the rest of the season.
Rutgers has six games left, all Big Ten, before the Big Ten tournament. The Scarlet Knights need to make a push in this stretch to put themselves in good position for tournament seeding. Currently the Scarlet Knights are 5-4-3 on the year and 1-2-1 in conference. The time is now for Rutgers if they hope to find themselves in postseason play.
Team Statistics
| RUT | Nebraska | |
| Goals | 2 | 2 |
| Shots | 13 | 30 |
| Shots on Goal | 6 | 11 |
| Saves | 9 | 4 |
| Corners | 1 | 11 |
| Offsides | 1 | 0 |
| Fouls | 12 | 7 |
Rutgers Women’s Soccer Next Game
The Scarlet Knights stay in the midwest as they face another Big Ten foe on Sunday, the Iowa Hawkeyes.
- Date and Time: October 1st at 1:00 p.m. EST
- VS: Iowa
- Location: Iowa City, Iowa
- Watch: B1G+
- Live stats click here
Full schedule click here.
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