The Rensselaer women’s soccer team improved its record to 7-4 last week with a dominating 2-0 win over the Hartwick Hawks. Right after the kick-off the Red Hawks controlled the play of the game, pushing the ball deep into the Hartwick end and getting quite a few quality shots on Hawks goalkeeper Maria Fernandez.
RPI found the back of the net at the 12:50 mark, when some nice give-and-go passing down the left sideline between junior Adele Godfrey-Certner and fellow classmate Anne Drames got the ball out of the Red Hawks’ half of the field. Drames carried the ball into the Hartwick 18-yard box and drove a shot from 15 yards out into the top left corner past Fernandez.
Less than a minute later, Drames found the back of the net again when she tried to cross the ball from the left side of the end line. As the ball headed for the front of the net, it hit off a Hawk defender and was redirected into the goal.
Rensselaer continued to keep the pressure up but Fernandez and the Hartwick defense wer able to keep the Red Hawks from putting more on the board, and the half ended with RPI leading 2-0.
The second half was much like the first but again the Hawks’ defense was able to keep the Red Hawks off the scoreboard, including a point blank save by Fernandez off a shot from freshman Katherine Frank with four minutes left in the game.
Rensselaer’s domination in the game was evident as the Red Hawks out shot the Hawks 19-4. Junior keeper Regina Primm had two saves for RPI and Fernandez finished with 11 saves for Hartwick.
The Red Hawks head into this weekend’s crucial and final UCAA contests in third place in the UCAA with a 3-2 record.
On Friday, RPI takes on St. Lawrence (2-2-1 in UCAA, tie fourth place) and Saturday, Clarkson (1-4 in UCAA, tie sixth place) comes to town. Both games are being played up on Ned Harkness Field. Friday’s game starts at 6 pm and kick-off on Saturday is at 4 pm.
