Both men’s and women’s soccer teams saw success this week. The women’s team defeated the Bard College Raptors on their own turf 2-1 last Saturday. The men’s team took on Skidmore College at home last Wednesday with a 1-0 victory, then crushed Bard 3-0 on a rain-soaked field Saturday afternoon.
The women’s team struck early against Bard, with the first goal coming in the ninth minute of play. The Engineers shot a long ball toward the goal, which slipped out of the hands of the Raptor’s goalie. Senior forward Cori Winslow seized the opportunity and scored on the rebound.
Rebounds continued to present opportunities for RPI. This time, Winslow crossed the ball into the box, one which, again, Bard’s goalie was not able to hold on to. Senior forward Ali Zumpetta was there at the ready, and redirected the ball to put the Engineers at a 2-0 lead.
It took the Raptors until late in the game to make headway on the Engineer’s lead. Bard, too, scored on a rebound. The Raptor’s Hattie Wilder Karlstrom put a free kick on net, which freshman goalie Joey Lyons was only able to tip. Katie Hopper finished the shot, putting the score at 2-1. However, the tying goal never came for Bard, and RPI emerged victorious.
Despite Skidmore’s eight shots in the first half of the men’s Wednesday game, the Engineers held off the Thoroughbreds. Neither team was able to score in the first half.
It was late in the game when the Engineers slipped one past Skidmore’s goalie. A misplay by the Thoroughbreds’ defense allowed senior Devon Baughen to scoop up possession and score. Skidmore, with only ten minutes left in the game, was unable to respond to the goal.
During Saturday’s rainy game, scoring was plentiful for the Engineers in the second half. The first goal came from sophomore Danny Corridan, who received the ball from Baughen after a corner kick. Corridan put the ball low in the corner to give RPI the lead.
The Engineers increased their lead in the 68th minute thanks to Corridan and junior Steven Collins. Corridan received the ball from the throw in, quickly passing it to Collins who was able to shoot past the goalie’s reach.
But RPI was not done scoring just yet; late in the game, Collins was back in action. Senior Nick Revano played a cross inside the 18, which slipped past the goalie. Collins was there to finish the shot. The game ended 3-0 in favor of the Engineers.
Women’s soccer is 13-3 overall and will face Skidmore away on Thursday, October 27. The men’s team, now on a four game streak, is 7-6-3 overall and will travel to Keene State College on Wednesday, October 26.