Wildcats Head East to Take on Rutgers

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern continues its three-game road swing with a Thursday night road contest at Rutgers. Kickoff from Yurcak Field is set for 6 p.m. CT on B1G+. 

Last time out, Northwestern (5-5-3, 3-2-1 Big Ten) fell 3-0 at No. 7 Ohio State. The contest marked its fourth setback against an opponent ranked inside the top 15 of the United Soccer Coaches Poll.

Sophomore goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson collected her fifth shutout of the season and 15th of her career against the Hoosiers. Her 15 career shutouts rank fourth in program history and are the second-most by a Wildcat underclassman, trailing only Lauren Clem’s 20.

NU has had 10 goals and 12 assists so far on the 2026 season, coming from 13 different players. Junior midfielder/forward Alex Fallon leads the Wildcats with five points (two goals, one assist) in 2026.

Northwestern is 4-5-2 all-time against Rutgers. NU is seeking its first win in Piscataway since Oct. 19, 2014, the first meeting in series history. In 2025, the Wildcats raced out to a 3-0 win over RU in Evanston. 

Rutgers (3-5-3, 2-4-0 Big Ten) fell 1-0 at Iowa in its last time out. Freshman forward Lilia Calvert leads the Scarlet Knights with three goals and two assists. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer leads the Big Ten, averaging 4.82 saves per game to go with a 1.36 goals against average.

The Wildcats will close out the road trip at Maryland on Sunday. Kickoff from Ludwig Field is set for 11 a.m. CT on B1G+.