The first half proved to be a scoreless one, as both teams scraped for opportunities to create a goal. Rensselaer held the advantage in shot attempts for the frame, outshooting the Soaring Eagles 9-3. The Red Hawks had the only corner kick attempt in the first, but committed nine fouls compared to Elmira’s three.

When play resumed in the second half, the battle continued. However, it was junior Judy Kastner who put the first points on the board late in the contest for RPI. Kastner scored at the 74:00 mark, firing a shot past Elmira senior goalie Megan Doherty to give Rensselaer the 1-0 lead.

The Red Hawk defense, which was strong all day, was unable to preserve the shutout. The Soaring Eagles responded at the 85:39 mark when senior Erinn Prestidge scored on a pass from classmate Jessica Talbot to tie the game at one, and send the match into overtime.

Two extra periods, though, were not enough to determine a winner, and the game ended in a 1-1 tie. For the game, RPI outshot Elmira 16-8 and held a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks, but committed 20 fouls compared to nine by the Soaring Eagles. Doherty made seven saves for Elmira while freshman Meghan White made four for Rensselaer.

The Red Hawks finish the year with a record of 6-10-2 overall and 1-6-0 in Liberty League play. While the RPI women failed to make the playoffs, they have continued to grow as a team, and Head Coach Eric Miller will undoubtedly have them competing at a high level again next season. Juniors Sarah Hinz and Kastner were tied as the team’s goal scoring leaders; each had four. Hinz was also the team’s assist leader with four.

Field Hockey

The Red Hawks came into the week after losing their two previous contests with the University of Rochester and William Smith College. The women had just two games left on the year in which to improve on their 5-8 record. This week’s task was Middlebury College on the road on Wednesday.

RPI took the early lead at the 32:04 mark on a goal by junior Sara Stylinski. However, from there things took a turn for the worse for Rensselaer.

The Panthers tied the game up at 28:42 on a goal from sophomore Madeleine Macmillan. She would strike again less than four minutes later to give Middlebury its first lead of the contest.

Junior Lindsay McBride capitalized on a penalty corner opportunity to increase the Panthers’ lead to two, and freshman Sarah Bryan made it a 4-1 game when she scored on a scramble out in front of the net. Freshman Sally Ryan would add one final score at the 2:39 mark, to give Middlebury a commanding 5-1 lead headed into halftime. For the frame, RPI was outshot 16-3 and was behind in penalty corners 5-0.

Unfortunately for Rensselaer, the second half was more of the same. Freshman Chase Delano converted a penalty corner to kick off the action. Freshman Allison Grant provided a boost, scoring twice—at the 21:33 and the 4:38 marks. Sophomore Heather McCormack and junior Sophie Thompson each chipped in as well with a goal apiece to combine for a 10-goal Middlebury effort.

Senior Michelle Clemente scored at the 2:09 mark to give the Red Hawks their second goal, but that would be all the RPI women could muster up on this day. For the game, Rensselaer was outshot 27-10 and were behind in penalty corners 9-3. Freshman Lauren Fernandes made seven saves and senior Kate Williams made five in goal for the Red Hawks. Caitlin Pentifallo made four for the Panthers.

RPI was scheduled to take on Oswego State on Saturday, but the game was cancelled due to rain. As of yet, no make-up date has been determined. Currently, the women’s record stands at 5-9 on the season.

Swimming & Diving

On Saturday, the RPI men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams competed versus Ithaca College. Ithaca ultimately won the contest; the Red Hawk men lost 129.5-113.5 and the women lost 128-113.

Sophomore Brian Roth performed very well for the Rensselaer men, finishing with a victory in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:06.82. Roth also helped the 400-meter medley relay team to a win as the group posted a time of 3:45.38.

Junior Matt Culen dominated the diving events. He captured first place in the one-meter event with a score of 266.78 in addition to the three meter event in which he scored 274.50. His performance made him men’s Diver of the Week.

For the women, freshman Christina Savage posted wins in the 200-meter backstroke and the 1000-meter freestyle with times of 2:17.12 and 11:20.56, respectively. Savage was named Rookie of the Week while sophomore Kelsey Manely earned Diver of the Week.