Sophomore Sara Stylinski attributes the run to the tournament championship to the team’s flexibility: “If a task is thrown at us, I feel we can accomplish it; we’re good to go.”

At the Zenaty Invitational at Springfield College, Mass., the Red Hawks played Endicott for their season opener on Saturday that ended in a 3-2 victory. Junior forward Michelle Clemente scored 6:43 into the first half to start off the Red Hawks.

Soon after the break, however, a senior midfielder evened out the score for Endicott. Rensselaer’s sophomore forward Lisa Pak saw to it that Endicott would pay for penalties, as she scored on two consecutive penalty strokes in just three minutes. Although Endicott pressured senior goalie Liz Szewczak, she made 12 saves for the win and a chance in the championship match.

Sunday’s game did not go as well for RPI, when Junior forward Brittany Veazie, the tournament’s MVP, scored two early goals to help Springfield soar to a 4-0 lead in the first 20 minutes. Pak scored her third goal of the weekend, but Rensselaer’s only goal of the game, just five minutes later. Szewczak made 18 saves in the loss against the Pride.

This year’s flexible and balanced team saw eight talented freshmen replace the five experienced seniors lost to graduation. “We all bring something special to the table,” Stylinski said. Between the speed, field sense, attacking and defending, they have a lot to offer, but “we just have to tie it all together,” she finished.

Heading the team this year are four seniors who bring knowledge to the table as well as their leadership. This strong core includes defender Andrea Flynn, midfielder Emily Carroll, and goalies Jen O’Neil and Liz Szewczak.

“Our team has a lot of potential,” sophomore Kerri Clark said, “The upperclassmen really work well together. And the freshmen that have come in really fit well with the team.”

As for goals this season, Clark said “I definitely want to beat Skidmore.” William Smith, Union, and Middlebury are all rivals included on the team’s must-win list as well.

“We have so much to give” Stylinski said. As always, she pointed out communication is key “for everyone individually to come together as a team.”

This summer, the team worked on breaking down the game into small 1-1, 2-1, 3-2 games, and is now trying to recognize these situations in a full-field game. This way every woman can perform, and the team will be comprised of 20 all-stars, not just one person to look to.

Highlights from last season include beating Union and delivering Urinus College’s second loss of the season. Urinus was the top-ranked team in Division III field hockey at the time.

The team also finished last season with the highest GPA in the division and thus was awarded the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Academic Team Award.