RPI field hockey had a rough stretch of Liberty League contests in late September and early October. A timely break from league matchups allowed the Red Hawks to rebound with a pair of victories against Utica and Oswego State. On Monday, RPI lost 2-1 to Ursinus College, which entered the week ranked first in the nation among Division III field hockey teams. While a late-game run did not result in a tying goal for the Red Hawks, they demonstrated an encouraging effort and dominated most of the second half.
Utica struck first in Wednesday’s game. Forward Shannon Rohacek dribbled down the center of the field, put a move on RPI midfielder Emily Carroll, and slipped the ball past senior goalie Amanda Lund. The Red Hawks took over the game after the goal.
After a number of unsuccessful penalty corners, RPI finally knotted the score when freshman Sara Stylinski tipped a shot from her classmate Lisa Pak. Stylinski gave RPI the lead early in the second half, scoring on her own rebound.
Saturday’s game against Oswego State was, for the most part, a defensive battle. RPI managed 23 shots, 10 of which were on net, en route to a 1-0 victory. Sophomore Michelle Clemente scored the game’s only goal on a pass from Pak. The hapless Lakers, which fell to 1-11 with the loss, only had four shots in the entire game.
On Monday, the Ursinus College Bears came to Troy. The Bears proved to be a formidable opponent for the Red Hawks, and quickly raced out to an early 2-0 lead.
The first goal came just over a minute into the game. Junior Molly Stevens took a cross pass from sophomore Lindsay Cappa and drilled it to the back of the cage. The Bears doubled the lead late in the first half on a penalty corner at 30:46.
The Bears dominated the first half, out-shooting the Red Hawks 12-1, and out-gaining them in penalty corners 10-1. “I think we weren’t really mentally awake in the first couple of minutes,” said RPI Head Coach Bridget LaNoir. Senior goalie Amanda Lund also made a pair of dazzling acrobatic saves in a five-minute span late in the half to keep the game close.
The Red Hawks came out firing in the second. “We realized what we had to do and certainly stepped up our play and made adjustments throughout the game,” stated LaNoir, adding, “we certainly have things we need to improve on, but we stepped up our play immensely.”
Clemente brought RPI within one when she scored on a cross from Pak only three minutes into the second half. The Red Hawks had a number of other solid scoring opportunities in the period, including a two-on-one with Pak and classmate Kristiina Baker, but ultimately could not tie the game.
Despite the loss, LaNoir was encouraged by her team’s effort against the nation’s top team. “We certainly realize that when we’re up for a game, and everybody’s on, there’s a lot that can be accomplished. I think we realize what we did today,” she said.
RPI plays a pair of Liberty League games against Union and Skidmore this Friday and Saturday. The Red Hawks are 0-4 in league play, but can still get a playoff spot with wins and help. “We need to win all three that we have left,” said LaNoir. “St. Lawrence is now going to be the last weekend in October, and we have Skidmore and Union this weekend. We need to win all three, and I believe Union needs to beat Vassar for us to gain fourth place.”
