Unfortunately, the week didn’t start off as nicely as the Red Hawks would have liked. RPI, who was already coming off two losses in their previous two games, was in need of a win, one that they would not get on this day.

The two teams battled extremely hard in the first half. The play was evenly matched, with both teams answering each others’ goals, keeping the score very close. So close in fact, that the score remained knotted at five as the teams headed into the half.

When the action resumed in the second, Rensselaer would have a false sense of security that they were within striking distance when the score was again tied, this time at seven. The Golden Bears would steal the momentum and take the lead for good when Alyson Nowell scored off a pass from Audrey Kelton at the 15:57 mark.

Defense would then be the deciding factor, as WNEC was able to put the clamps on the Red Hawks for the remainder of the game, holding RPI to only one goal in the final 14:53 minutes of play.

The Golden Bears won the game by a score of 13-9. Sophomore Natalie White led Rensselaer’s offense with four goals, while freshman Carly Mahoney contributed nicely with two assists.

On a rainy Saturday with the elements not being ideal, the Red Hawks had their home opener versus Hamilton, and got off to a nice start scoring first and grabbing the early lead. The Continentals, however, quickly turned things around, scoring six goals in just three minutes to take a commanding 6-1 lead.

Senior Rebecca Primm scored two goals late in the first half, but Hamilton once again took offense, and responded with four goals of their own, which allowed them to take a 11-5 advantage into the half.

The second half brought more play, and certainly more action. Hamilton tallied two goals early, but this time it was the Red Hawks who had an answer, scoring three times and cutting the lead to 13-8.

Late in the game, with the deficit now nine, the score being 17-8, RPI made one final push. Rensselaer was able to get five goals from five different players, a total team effort. However, the hard fought battle would end before the Red Hawks could surge all the way back, and they would end up losing the game by a score of 17-13.

Junior Inga Stots led the Continentals with three goals and two assists. Junior Suzy Belmont and freshmen Kaillie Briscoe and Allie Shpal each had three as well to balance out the Hamilton offense. The Red Hawks were paced by Primm who had three goals and an assist. Senior Jen Wahl had two goals and freshman Carly Strife chipped in with one.

The RPI women would lose once more on Sunday, with an 11-2 showing against Nazareth College. It was a non-conference game, yet still a tough way to end the week. Nazareth improved to an impressive 5-0 while Rensselaer’s record now stands at 2-6.

The Red Hawks are struggling as of late, losing their last five games in a span of just 10 days. Head Coach Leslie Khachadourian stated, “The team is in a tough spot right now. We are beating ourselves with errors and mental lapses, and other teams are simply taking advantage of this.” She was quick to point out that she meant no disrespect to her team’s opponents, who certainly played great games, but she sternly believed the Red Hawks were capable of winning those games.

Even though it is early in the season, the next few games may ultimately determine the Red Hawks’ future for the end of the season, and whether or not they will be playing in the tournament. Their ability to turn the season around will be a testament to the team’s character and strength to get going, as times now are a little rough.

“I have complete faith in the group of women on the team, and am confident that we will start our climb to success in the upcoming competition,” said Khachadourian.