The RPI men’s soccer team’s defense held strong and sophomore goalkeeper Alex Penny earned a pair of road shutouts, as the Red Hawks swept their opening weekend of Liberty League action on the strength of two late game-winning goals.
Junior Kevin Swift struck first in the 83rd minute of the team’s Friday afternoon game against the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds to take the game by a 1-0 margin. The next day, RPI faced off against the Union College Dutchmen in a match that stood as a scoreless draw at the end of regulation. Junior Lincoln Field’s goal in the seventh minute of the overtime period broke the tie and gave the Red Hawks their second Liberty League win on the weekend. Both Swift and Field’s goals were their third ones of the season.
RPI limited both the Thoroughbreds and the Dutchmen to just three shots on goal each, and Penny, who was named Defensive Performer of the Week in the Liberty League, made all the saves needed. “We played very well defensively,” said Head Coach Adam Clinton. The Red Hawks have now recorded shutouts in five of their nine matches on the year.
Clinton said that the win gives the team some confidence. He explained: “We really haven’t played as well as we’re going to, and we know there is room for improvement.” Among other things, Clinton cited working on defense and being “a little more aggressive with runs out of midfield” as areas that the Red Hawks will look to improve in.
Each victory was worth three points in the Liberty League standings, and Clinton noted that the team is already halfway to the 12 points he believes will get the Red Hawks into the Liberty League tournament at the end of the season. “Getting six points in the bag is great,” stated Clinton. RPI has five remaining contests in the league.
After the opening weekend of Liberty League play, RPI is 2-0-0 and has already matched its league win total from a year ago. Both Union and Skidmore ended the weekend 1-1-0 in the Liberty League. The Red Hawks stand tied atop the standings with the Hobart College Statesmen, with each team holding six points. RPI is now ranked fifth in the northeast in the NSCAA regional rankings.
The victories also got the Red Hawks back on track following a two-game skid after the team opened the season with five straight wins. RPI is now 7-2-0 on the season, equaling last year’s regular season win total at just the halfway point of its 18-game regular season schedule.
The Red Hawks return to Troy Wednesday for their first home game since the team’s opening weekend in the end of August. The Red Hawks will take on the SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers at home.
“They’re going to play a different style of soccer than we’re used to,” said Clinton of Cobleskill. He pointed out that the Fighting Tigers are a team that has “a little more individual base rather than team-oriented.”
“We want to keep rolling, and go into the next weekend 8-2,” said Clinton, referring to the team’s next Liberty League contests. After having this weekend off, RPI will be taking on the St. Lawrence University Saints and the Clarkson University Golden Knights at home the following weekend. The matches are scheduled for Friday, October 10 and Saturday, October 11, respectively.
How does the team feel about returning to its home field? “We’re looking forward to it,” said Clinton.
“We would love to fill that hill with as many fans as we can get,” stated Clinton in reference to Renwyck Field. “We have a good thing going here that a lot of people don’t know about since we’ve been away from home. … We’d love the support of the school.” Wednesday’s match against the Fighting Tigers is scheduled to start at 7 pm and, like all of the Red Hawks’ home contests, will be held on Renwyck Field.
