Versus Skidmore, the game started out very evenly matched. For the majority of the first half, both teams countered each other’s attempts, yet defense was the important factor through the early going.

The Thoroughbreds, though, were able to get on the board first at the 40:10 mark when senior Anna Cerio scored an unassisted goal. The score late in the first half gave her team the slight advantage, 1-0 headed into halftime. In the opening frame, Skidmore outshot Rensselaer 10-1 and held a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks, yet the Red Hawks were still in the game and could turn things around in the second half.

When play resumed, Cesio was at it again. At the 48:59 mark, she took a pass from teammate Marianna Grigorov and blasted it past RPI freshman goalie Meghan White for her second tally of the game.

That would be all the action in terms of goal scoring for the remainder of the game, as Skidmore came away with the 2-0 victory. On the day, the Thoroughbreds did most of the damage on the field, outshooting the Red Hawks 17-4, maintaining a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks, and committed two fewer fouls, six compared to Rensselaer’s eight. White was busy in goal for RPI, making seven saves. Her counterpart Liza Mills made two for Skidmore.

The Red Hawks were back in action on Sunday, but in the end it proved to be another tough loss, as Union was just too much on the day.

The Dutchwomen tallied one goal in the first half at the 38:45 mark. Senior Caitlin Cuozzo received a cross from her sister Allison, and ripped a shot home on the left side of the goal, beating White for the score. The 1-0 lead would hold up through halftime, as RPI once again found itself fighting from behind.

In the second half, things only got worse. Junior Ashley Brown increased the Dutchwomen’s lead at the 50:12 mark after she beat a defender and fired the ball past White for the goal. Sara Wilson made it a 3-0 game in favor of Union—which would be the final score—late in the contest with a goal at the 77:52 mark. Wilson scored on a header after getting the ball on a corner from Chelsea Hargis.

For the day, RPI was outshot 22-4, and was behind in corner kicks 5-1. White made six saves for the Red Hawks, while Melissa McDonald made two and Mia Simone made one for the Dutchwomen.

With the loss, Rensselaer falls to 6-9-1 on the year and 1-6-0 in Liberty League Play. The women will round out their season with their finale at Harkness Field on Thursday at 4 pm versus Elmira College.

Field Hockey

The RPI field hockey team played two league games on the road this week: the first versus the University of Rochester on Friday, and then William Smith College on Saturday. Rensselaer had dropped its three previous contests and was looking to snap the short skid.

Against Rochester, the Red Hawks looked very strong in the early going forcing five penalty corners in the opening five minutes of play. However, it was the Yellowjackets that drew first blood with a goal at the 28:49 mark. After a scramble in traffic and a missed shot attempt, sophomore Lara Bucarey took the ball and beat RPI freshman goalie Lauren Fernandes for the score. The 1-0 lead would be the margin at the half.

Though the Red Hawks looked sharp on the second half as well— five shots compared to Skidmore’s two, and again with the advantage in penalty corners, three to two—the Rensselaer women just could not get their offense started. The defense played strongly as RPI remained in the mix for the duration of the contest, but it just could not capitalize on any of its chances as the game ended by a final score of 1-0, with the Yellowjackets picking up their eighth win of the season. Fernandes made three saves for the Red Hawks while Rachel Cahan made 10 for Rochester.

Rensselaer returned to action on Sunday versus William Smith. The 12th-ranked Herons came into the bout heavily favored, and looked sharp from the get-go. However, as the opening half came to a close, the score remained 0-0 despite the fact that RPI was outshot 11-0. The defense was on point and backed by Fernandes, who stopped six shots in the first.

In the second half, William Smith finally got on track. At the 48:30 mark, sophomore Sarah Palmer scored an unassisted goal to put the Herons up 1-0. Junior Kelsey Landahl increased the lead to two roughly nine minutes later, scoring on a pass from sophomore Kaitlyn Hamilton.

The Red Hawks would do all they could to mount a comeback, but their efforts would be thwarted as the game ended with a final score of 3-0. For the day, Rensselaer was outshot 17-3 and lagged behind in corners, 16-3. Fernandes made nine saves for RPI while Herons junior Katie DeKraker made two.

With the loss, the Red Hawks fell to 5-10 overall on the year, and 2-5 in league play. The women have two games remaining on the season. They will take on Middlebury College on Wednesday at 3:30 pm, and then Oswego State on Saturday, home at 1 pm to close out the year.

Cross Country

On Saturday, the RPI men’s and women’s cross country teams hosted the Saratoga Invitational. The 20-team event was held at Saratoga State Park. The men’s team ended up finishing eighth while the women’s team finished fifth. Jennifer Adams of Keene State College won the 5K event while Hamilton College’s Peter Kosegi won the 8K event.

Junior Chris Donais, who ended up being the leader for the men, posted a time of 26:40.17, which was good enough for a 29th place finish among 260 participants. Freshman Chris Frank brought attention as well with his 52nd place finish with a time of 27:08.54, the best time of all RPI first year students. Sophomore Leo Pavlosky was right behind Frank, finishing 53rd with a time of 27:09.61.