Just six days after dropping an intense battle to the 10th ranked team in the nation, Ithaca, the Rensselaer men’s lacrosse team again had to face another nationally ranked opponent in 16th ranked Stevens Tech on Thursday at Harkness Field.
In frigid and snowy conditions, the Red Hawks defense put the clamps on the high-powered Stevens offense, holding them to just 23 shots on goal in the 14-9 victory.
“We took care of the ball and played more together on defense,” Rensselaer Head Coach Tom Korrie said. “We did not play perfect, but we made more plays than mistakes.”
The Red Hawks certainly made more plays and out hustled Stevens. RPI nearly doubled up Stevens in shots on goal, grabbed 20 more groundballs, and had fewer turnovers than their opponent.
However, the most telling statistic of the game was Rensselaer’s ability to score seven out of 12 times when on the man-up advantage.
With the score tied at 4-4 after two quarters, the Red Hawks outscored Stevens 10-5 in the last two periods, scoring six goals on seven man advantage opportunities.
“Our ability to convert in the man-up situations was the key in the win,” Korrie said. “We played much more controlled today.”
Luc Ruglis led RPI with five goals and an assist while teammates Adam LoGuidice and Chris Sherman also tallied an assist and scored four and three goals, respectively.
The Rensselaer offense continued to roll despite the absence of injured attack man Nick Culotti, who is nursing a shoulder injury.
Jeff Hobbs played well in place of Culotti, scoring a goal and dishing out an assist against Stevens.
“We miss Nick’s athleticism and toughness, and he is working hard to get back soon,” Korrie said. “Jeff was ready to step up and he made an impact.”
The Rensselaer defense, especially goaltender Ryan Michels, has also begun to elevate their play as they contained Stevens in poor field conditions on Thursday and held a much improved Wheaton team to just seven goals in the Red Hawks’ 9-7 win on Saturday.
With the game tied 7-6 after three quarters of play, Adam LoGuidice scored one of his four goals to give RPI a much needed insurance goal, and Michels and the defense took care of the rest.
“Ryan has done great, he has exceeded our expectations,” Korrie said. “He is making the stops and directing the clears. He has gained the respect of the team and the defense.”
With Michels and the defense showing continuous improvement and the deadly Rensselaer offense clicking, the Red Hawks are looking good as they prepare to enter their UCAA schedule.
“I’m happy with the progress we have made and our success thus far,” Korrie said. “But the team and I are still well aware there is room for improvement. We need to continue to evaluate our play, get better, and hopefully peak at the right time, late in the year.”
