For Katie Lavelle and the rest of the RPI women’s soccer team, the 2004 season could not end fast enough, as the Red Hawks limped to a 2-11-1 record.
“As we kept losing we almost gave up,” Lavelle admitted. “Every time we lost, we just got down more and more. I constantly found myself thinking about everything I did wrong in every game.”
There was a lack of enthusiasm for the Red Hawks last year, but according to Lavelle, the new head coach Eric Miller is changing that attitude.
Miller took over the job from Leslie Khachadourian, who was acting as both the women’s soccer and lacrosse coach, and has quickly brought a new attitude to a hungry Rensselaer squad.
Lavelle now looks forward to practice as Miller has challenged them both physically and mentally, and is uprooting Rensselaer’s conservative offensive strategy. This year the Red Hawks will sport a 3-5-2 formation with one midfielder on attack in an effort to bolster RPI’s struggling offense.
“He’s great,” Lavelle said of Miller. “He knows so much about the game and has really forced us to think mentally.”
But for the Red Hawks to maintain their current fervor for soccer and finally shake the curse from 2004 they must win some games, which ultimately means scoring some goals.
“The only way for us to really forget last year is to win some games,” Lavelle said. “Winning is fun and we’ll have a lot more fun if we win some games.”
Winning and scoring may be easier said than done. Last year, the Red Hawks managed to score just 13 goals, three of which came from Lavelle, compared to 34 scores for opponents.
Miller’s new approach, Lavelle hopes, will utilize RPI’s speed and athleticism across the field. The Red Hawks boast a number of multi-sport athletes such as Rebecca Primm who bring a great deal of versatility to the field.
“We have a lot of talent although some people might not think so,” Lavelle said. “We just need the little pieces to come together.”
Miller is doing his best to complete that puzzle by harping on patience in the offensive zone.
“He’s always telling us to stop forcing passes,” Lavelle said. “He’ll say, ‘You go to RPI, you should know this. It’s all angles.’”
Apparently, the Red Hawks are figuring some of those angles out. They defeated Hudson Valley Community College in a scrimmage earlier this a week, delivering a much-needed confidence boost to an anxious squad.
The Red Hawks are excited again about soccer and are optimistic about their chances to not only win some games, but reach the conference playoffs.
“It should not be hard to improve on last year,” Lavelle admitted. “Making the playoffs is a good goal for us to have. We can give every team a run for the money and find a way in.”
Rensselaer will open its season by traveling to Springfield College on Thursday before returning home to face local rival Russell Sage, who the Red Hawks tied last year, on Tuesday.
