Men’s soccer concluded their regular season Thursday, October 29 with a 3-2 comeback win against the Keene State Owls. The win puts the Engineers at an 11-4-3 record overall, and 8-1-1 for non-league games.
The Owls struck fast and early against RPI, scoring the first goal 40 seconds into the game. A throw-in allowed Keene State player Conor Leahy to find Riley Steele, who put the ball past sophomore Ryan Nealon.
The Engineers, not to be outdone, struck back 22 minutes later. Senior Matt Carberry played a long ball to junior Devon Baughen, who slipped the ball past Owl’s goalie Jacob Walker. This tied up the game and was Baughen’s eighth goal of the season, the team leader.
In the 38th minute the Owls were back on top. A cross from Steele allowed Leahy to score. At the end of the half, Keene State lead 2-1. While the two teams were tied in shots on goal, RPI’s offense forced the Owl’s goalie to make four saves, while Nealon made none.
Baughen, with the help of senior Nathaniel Gunderson, tied the game for a second time five minutes into the second half. Gunderson made a 50-yard run down the field, pushing past Keene State’s defense. He crossed the ball to Baughen, who was able to bury it in the back of the net.
The tie was finally broken in RPI’s favor in the 79th minute, when Gunderson powered a left-footed shot just under the crossbar to secure the Engineer’s 3-2 victory in their last game of the 2015 regular season.