Playing Vassar College on Saturday at Harkness Field, the women’s soccer team proved that they are slowly becoming the competitive team that Head Coach Eric Miller believes they can be. Though they would eventually lose 2-1, it is evident that certain elements of the team are becoming stronger, and it is only a matter of time before the team finds the path to success.
Still succumbing to their weakness of virtually every game this season, RPI once again gave up the first goal of the game, which Coach Miller describes as very costly.
Nola Solomon put Vassar ahead 1-0 just under four minutes in to the game. After dribbling the ball quickly up the field, her unassisted shot found the back of the net, just getting past goalie Tara Marandino. The Red Hawks, however, would fight back with more intensity that has been seen in the past weeks. They were unable to score for the remainder of the first half, but late in the game when it counted most, RPI managed to find paydirt.
At the 79:49 mark, Kristy Kolb scored an unassisted goal after receiving the ball off a free kick directly in front of the net, putting it past goalie Heather Jaffe.
“We had been working on a lot of scenarios like free kicks in practice, so it was nice to see our work pay off in the game,” described Coach Miller.
Just when RPI had taken the momentum to tie the game, Vassar would steal it right back. Nola Solomon scored her second unassisted goal of the game at the 87:16 mark, sealing the deal and sending the Red Hawks home with a sour taste of defeat in their mouths.
RPI threatened to seize the game once or twice, but they were unable to capitalize. Ultimately, making a small mistake in a poor clearing is what led to Vassar’s winning goal.
Finally, when the team really stepped up late in the game, they once again fell short, leaving the Red Hawks to wonder, “Now what do we do?”
“This was a tough loss for us. You could really see the hurt in the girls’ faces, it was clear that this game really meant something to them,” said Miller on the team’s morale.
That sense of desire, however, is a good sign at this point in the season. Despite being 1-6-1, the team isn’t accepting defeat. They are fighting hard game in and game out, leaving everything they have on the field.
“We’re trying to figure out where to go from here because even though it feels like the puzzle is just about complete, there is still that one piece that is missing, and it’s my job to analyze the team and find out what that one piece is,” described Miller.
As the team continues to try and get over the hump, they are still waiting for the ball to bounce their way. The players are giving just about as much as they can give. They are simply waiting to get some luck on their side for the first time.
Overall, improvement of the team can be seen in many areas of the game. Miller, however, feels that it is going to take a few more individuals to step up before the team moves to the next level.
The Red Hawks will keep pushing and searching for the missing piece. Practice will certainly be important this week as the team prepares for an important three-game homestand against Clarkson, St. Lawrence, and Hartwick.
“Ideally, I would like to take two out of the three … I am confident that we will be very much in each of the games, and I hope things will finally bounce our way,” said Miller.
The team is slowly making strides to success within each game as pieces are coming together. With seven games remaining, there is still time for RPI to make a run and show the league that they are not a team to be overlooked. If one of their opponents happen to take the feisty bunch for granted, they will be in for a tough day. Hopefully, this will lead to some more victories and character-building for a young Red Hawk team that is looking to take flight.
