St. John Fisher upset by scrappy RPI squad

The Rensselaer men’s soccer team pulled yet another upset Saturday, as they defeated the tenth ranked team in the state, St. John Fisher, by a score of 2-0 in a non-conference game.

The game was tightly contested throughout and the first goal of the game came with just 15 minutes left in the game, as the Red Hawks’ Ed Sellitto blew a shot right past the goalie’s head.

“It was just a matter of time before we got one in,” said Rensselaer men’s soccer Coach Adam Clinton. “We had been creating chances for ourselves all game.”

Less then ten minutes after Sellitto’s goal, Craig DiDomenico scored an unassisted goal to give the Red Hawks a much needed insurance goal as they closed the doors on St. John Fisher.

The Rensselaer defense played particularly well in the game.

They did not allow a single shot on goal keeper Greg Goehle, despite the fact that St. John Fisher had six corner kicks along with several other great scoring opportunities. “This was a good win for us,” added Clinton. “We played well overall, made some minor adjustments at halftime, and put the game away.”

This was the second time this season that the Red Hawks have upset a highly ranked opponent. Earlier this season, Rensselaer dominated the second ranked team in the state, Plattsburgh State, by a score of 4-0.

“We have not been consistent all year,” said Clinton. “If we could play at the same level as we did against Plattsburgh and St. John Fisher we could have a much better record.”

The Red Hawks are now 5-7 overall on the season.

However, all of the Red Hawks wins have come in non-conference games, leaving them with a 0-4 record in the UCAA and creating a huge hole they must dig themselves out of in order to reach the conference playoffs.

“We need help and we have to win out if we want to make the playoffs,” said Clinton.

Winning out the season for Rensselaer may be easier said than done as the Red Hawks must face the number one ranked team in the state and the third ranked team in the country, St. Lawrence.

Rensselaer will play two games this weekend: St Lawrence on Friday, October 24; and Clarkson Saturday, October 25. They will wrap up their season against Vassar on November 1.