Entering last week, the RPI men’s soccer team had come off a split in its previous two games in the Manhattanville Tournament, with a win over the hosting Valiants but a loss to St. John Fisher College the next day. With their record standing at 3-2-1, the Red Hawks prepared to open Liberty League play with games against St. Lawrence University on Saturday, and Clarkson University on Sunday.
On Saturday, Rensselaer got on the board first at the 39:29 mark. Senior Aaron Gundle took a pass from classmate Gary Sroka, beat a defender, and capitalized on a one-on-one situation with Saints’ goalie Emilio Coletta for his third goal of the season.
While the score would remain 1-0 for the duration of the first half, the action was very evenly matched. Both the Red Hawks and the Saints took eight shots on goal and had four corner kick opportunities. Rensselaer committed one more foul that St. Lawrence in the frame, seven compared to six.
In the second half, St. Lawrence was able to tie it up at one when Paul Lamarca received a low cross from teammate Axel Galeano, and headed the ball past RPI senior goalie Jeffrey Krywanczyk from six yards out at the 63:36 mark.
Less than five minutes later, Lamarca was back in the action again, this time getting the ball to freshman Ryan Hefner, who knew what to do with it, blasting it home for the score and giving the Saints a 2-1 lead. The goal would prove to be the game winner, with St. Lawrence improving to 4-1-2, and RPI dropping to 3-3-1.
Coletta finished with six saves for the Saints, while his counterpart Krywanczyk made seven. Despite the loss, play was well-matched throughout the game. The Red Hawks were outshot by a slim margin, 16-13, held a 6-5 advantage in corner kicks, and committed two fewer fouls than St. Lawrence, 9-11.
On Sunday versus Clarkson, the intensity was plentiful but the goal scoring was not. Rensselaer got off to a strong start in the first half, outshooting the Golden Knights 5-2 in the frame, but neither team really had prime opportunities to score. Jonathon Rushing made three saves in the first for Clarkson, while freshman Alex Penny made one for RPI. Headed into halftime, the score would remain deadlocked at zero.
In the second half, the action picked up right away. Rensselaer was able to break through late in the game, in the 62nd minute. Sophomore Sean Fleury crossed the ball towards the penalty area, where Sroka was waiting. Sroka found the back of the goal from 10 yards out, gave RPI a 1-0 lead, and captured the momentum for his team.
The Red Hawks were able to fend off Clarkson for the remaining 15 minutes of the game and capture their fourth win of the season. Rensselaer outshot the Golden Knights 12-4 on the day and held a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks. Penny made one stop in the shutout for RPI, while Rushing made six for Clarkson.
The upcoming week will be a short one for the Red Hawks, whose record now stands at 4-3-1 on the season. The men have just one game on Wednesday versus Alfred College, which is home at Harkness Field at 4 pm. From there they will prepare for upcoming Liberty League games with Hobart College and Hamilton College on October 5 and 6.
