The secret to the RPI victory was simple: Don’t let Union have the ball.

James Gallucci and the rest of the Red Hawk face-off squad combined to win 18 of the 26 showdowns, preventing Union from even having a chance to challenge the Rensselaer defense.

“Ball possession was key,” RPI Head Coach Tom Korrie said. “We did a good job clearing and picking up loose balls, but it was ultimately our ability to control the ball that allowed us to secure the win.”

RPI’s ability to control the contest allowed the Red Hawks to launch a continuous barrage of shots at Dutchmen goaltender Robert Oram. Rensselaer out shot Union by a two to one margin, and the difference certainly showed on the scoreboard.

However, Union, managed to stay in the game early by throwing a number of different defensive looks at the Red Hawks. The Dutchmen opened in a full field ride, similar to a full court press in basketball. The open field pressure surprised the Red Hawks early and really jammed up the middle of the field on the RPI clears.

“They threw some looks at us we had not seen all season,” Korrie said. “But we made some adjustments, moved our middies around, and started to bring the long-stick [defensemen] across midfield.”

Once Rensselaer figured out how to break the Union pressure, the Red Hawks went on to outscore the Dutchmen 9-4 over the second and third periods, and for all intents and purposes, put the game out of reach. Union attempted repeatedly to switch up their defensive looks to slow down RPI, but the well-coached and disciplined Red Hawks stuck to their game-plan.

“It was a bright spot to see the guys make the proper adjustments and be on the same page out there,” Korrie said. “We knew they were going to mix up their defenses on us, but we did a good job recognizing whether they were playing man or zone and getting in the appropriate offense.”

When asked how to defend his own team, Korrie was stumped—and it appears so are the rest of the teams in the UCAA.

Adam LoGuidice and Luc Ruglis, typically the receivers of some excellent set-up passes, were instead the givers this week for RPI. Ruglis handed out four assists while LoGuidice dished out three of his own. Ryan Frisch, Nick Culotti, and Chris Sherman were the benefactors of their teammates’ unselfishness as all three scored three goals in the win.

LoGuidice tallied two goals himself while Ruglis and Andrew Teichman scored one to round out the scoring for Rensselaer.

Korrie attributed his team’s success on offense to their hard work on the defensive end of the field. The Red Hawks forced the Dutchmen into 33 turnovers and harassed Union relentlessly on clear attempts.

“When we ride hard, we create turnovers,” Korrie said. “Our attack did a great job of putting pressure on the Union clears and really created some easy scoring opportunities for us.”

The Red Hawks have one final game against Skidmore at home this Saturday at 1 pm at Harkness Field, and although the game is meaningless in the standings, this is a match up RPI has been waiting for all season.

Skidmore upset the Red Hawks at home in the first round of the UCAA tournament last season, ending Rensselaer’s title run.

“The players are not happy after last season, and we are ready to redeem ourselves.”

A convincing win over Skidmore would not only rectify last year’s loss but also give the six seniors of Ruglis, Teichman, Gallucci, Mike Palombo, Jeff Hobbs, and Corey Ingram a nice send off in their last regular season home game.

“I’m not thinking about what it will be like when they are gone, I’m just enjoying the time while they’re here,” Korrie said. “They have all done great for the program and for the school.”

However, the seniors and the rest of the RPI squad are not quite ready to call it quits quite yet. The team’s preseason goals of a UCAA championship, an NCAA tournament birth, and an eventual national championship are still very much within the reach of such a deep squad as RPI.

“Every player has contributed this year, and we are headed in the right direction,” Korrie said. “All the players have their priorities in order. We just need to stay focused on school and lacrosse and make some personal sacrifices for the good of the team.”