Coming off a tie in their previous game against Russell Sage College, the women’s soccer team went on the road this weekend to participate in the Stevens Tech. Engineering Classic, a two-day affair. On Saturday, the Red Hawks faced a tough Stevens Tech. team that has been the champion of the Engineering Classic for the last three years. RPI would lose by a score of 6-0, but would show strength and perseverance as they bounced back quickly to defeat MIT 1-0 the very next day.
Opening Saturday’s game very strong with much enthusiasm, it looked as if Rensselaer would hold their own against the Ducks of Stevens. “For the first twenty-five minutes, it really looked like we were going to dominate the game,” said Head Coach Eric Miller on his team’s early performance. Their effort showed as both teams went into the half with the score being just 1-0. The Red Hawks had put themselves in a great position to compete for the win for the remainder of the game.
However, the second half would spell disaster for RPI. After intensifying their pressure on Rensselaer, Stevens began to roll, and before long the game had fallen out of reach. The Ducks scored five times in the second half, including a quick two goals in less than two minutes. Stevens outshot RPI 16-5 while holding a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks, and walked away with the victory despite the best effort of the Red Hawks. Stevens Tech. brought their record to 2-1-0.
Knowing that they could not dwell on the loss, RPI turned it around against MIT on Sunday. The first half brought a great deal of action but no score, as the Red Hawks once again competed and hung tough for the first 45 minutes of the game.
This time, though, the second half would be the turning point for the Red Hawks. With less than eleven minutes remaining in the game, freshman Sarah Hinz scored off the rebound of a free kick, giving the team its first goal of the game. “We just kept fighting and fighting,” said Miller of the team’s enthusiastic performance. Hinz’s goal would prove to be the only score of the game, and the deciding factor as the Red Hawks’ defense held strong. Senior goalie Tara Marandino had a big impact on the game, making two saves, and RPI tallied their first victory of the season. The Engineers of MIT fell to 0-4-0.
So far this year, the youth of the Red Hawks has shown as the team has gone through many highs and lows already. “Our team is very young. We are frustrated at times, but we’re learning,” commented Miller. His wisdom and hard work with his players appears evident, as the team has shown much promise in their successes.
“There has been a lot of improvement already, and MIT was a good rebound win for us, we really pulled together…once we get rolling and get going step by step, we are going to be okay,” Miller said, as he and the team look to the future.
The team travels to Staten Island this Sunday to take on NYU, who like RPI this weekend, has recently defeated MIT. The game looks to be a good one as it will be another battle and another test for the Red Hawks in this early stage of the season. The women’s record currently stands at 1-2-1.
