Thursday, August 13
Knoxville, Tenn.
7:00 PM
Rutgers
at
Tennessee
Women's Soccer Opens 2026 Season at No. 24 Tennessee
Aug 12 | Women's Soccer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Rutgers women's soccer opens the 2026 campaign on Thursday night at No. 24 Tennessee. The Scarlet Knights will have three straight road games to open the season before returning to New Jersey for the home opener against Boston College on Aug. 27.
Match Details
Rutgers (0-0-0, Big Ten) at No. 24 Tennessee (0-0-0, SEC)
7 p.m. ET | Thursday, Aug. 13
Regal Soccer Stadium (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Stream: SECN+
The 2026 Scarlet Knights
The 2026 roster features a total of 31 players, with 22 returners and 9 newcomers. Of the nine newcomers, seven are true freshmen and two are transfers. Head Coach Mike O'Neill enters his 13th season at the helm of the program and has reached the NCAA Tournament in 11-of-12 seasons.
O'Neill's coaching staff remains intact. Lubos Ancin serves as associate head coach and Ryan Nigro serves as assistant coach. Assistant coach Madison Richard will be on maternity leave for the season. Kevin Esteves has been elevated from video analyst to assistant coach. Trish DiPaolo continues her role as director of operations and Mariana Martinez was added to staff as the new video analyst.
2025 Recap
Rutgers finished 2025 with a 4-7-5 record and a 2-7-2 mark in Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights will look to return to their elite form, having made the NCAA Tournament under O'Neill in his first 11 seasons.
Returning in the Back
Rutgers will have plenty of experience along the back, with all four starters having made 14-plus starts last season. Patricia Tsokos was one of two players to start all 16 matches last season, doing so at left back.
As true freshmen, Lindsey Hailey (15) and Julia Joseph (14) were each regular starters at center back and right back, respectively. Morgan Hippeli started 15 games last season, mostly in the midfield, but made the move to CB in the season finale and will continue in that role this season.
Bodmer in the Box
Olivia Bodmer is one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the country, owning 56 games of experience heading into her fifth year. Bodmer recorded her 200th career save at Northwestern last season in becoming just the ninth player in program history to reach that mark. Her 210 saves are ninth in program history, trailing Casey Murphy (216 - 8th).
Decorated Freshmen
Rutgers has brought in a highly regarded class of seven freshmen across all three levels.
Match Details
Rutgers (0-0-0, Big Ten) at No. 24 Tennessee (0-0-0, SEC)
7 p.m. ET | Thursday, Aug. 13
Regal Soccer Stadium (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Stream: SECN+
The 2026 Scarlet Knights
The 2026 roster features a total of 31 players, with 22 returners and 9 newcomers. Of the nine newcomers, seven are true freshmen and two are transfers. Head Coach Mike O'Neill enters his 13th season at the helm of the program and has reached the NCAA Tournament in 11-of-12 seasons.
O'Neill's coaching staff remains intact. Lubos Ancin serves as associate head coach and Ryan Nigro serves as assistant coach. Assistant coach Madison Richard will be on maternity leave for the season. Kevin Esteves has been elevated from video analyst to assistant coach. Trish DiPaolo continues her role as director of operations and Mariana Martinez was added to staff as the new video analyst.
2025 Recap
Rutgers finished 2025 with a 4-7-5 record and a 2-7-2 mark in Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights will look to return to their elite form, having made the NCAA Tournament under O'Neill in his first 11 seasons.
Returning in the Back
Rutgers will have plenty of experience along the back, with all four starters having made 14-plus starts last season. Patricia Tsokos was one of two players to start all 16 matches last season, doing so at left back.
As true freshmen, Lindsey Hailey (15) and Julia Joseph (14) were each regular starters at center back and right back, respectively. Morgan Hippeli started 15 games last season, mostly in the midfield, but made the move to CB in the season finale and will continue in that role this season.
Bodmer in the Box
Olivia Bodmer is one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the country, owning 56 games of experience heading into her fifth year. Bodmer recorded her 200th career save at Northwestern last season in becoming just the ninth player in program history to reach that mark. Her 210 saves are ninth in program history, trailing Casey Murphy (216 - 8th).
Decorated Freshmen
Rutgers has brought in a highly regarded class of seven freshmen across all three levels.
- Lilia Calvert was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Pennsylvania and offers flexibility across the midfield.
- Marian Dunne and Amanda Thornton are a pair of strikers who both own elite goal-scoring instincts in the middle.
- Tommi Rose Valente is a dynamic midfielder and winger from Kearny, N.J. who has made an immediate impact in the preseason.
- Bea Tinoco and Dina Bojkovic are a pair of highly accomplished forwards from New Jersey.
- Gesare Omwenga rounds out the class as the lone defender and a North Carolina native with extensive club experience with NC Courage.
Transfer Duo
Rutgers added a pair of players from the transfer portal in GK Iris de Rouw and M Lily Ann Phillips. de Rouw provides depth at the goalkeeper position after spending her first year at St. John's. Phillips joins the program after spending her freshman year at Penn State. Phillips is a high-level midfielder expected to contribute immediately on the Banks.
The Captains
Head coach Mike O'Neill named GK Olivia Bodmer and M Gabriela Gil as the team's captains for 2026. Both served as captains last year alongside Allie Post, with Bodmer now a three-time team captain.
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Players Mentioned
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