The RPI women’s soccer team came into this week on a high note after winning their two previous contests over Russell Sage College and Alfred College. The women seem to be picking up some momentum in the early part of the season as the young team continues to benefit from experience.
The Red Hawks spent the early portion of the week resting up and preparing for their lone game on the schedule, which was a match-up against Springfield College. The opening minutes of play proved to be an even struggle as both clubs looked for opportunities to score. Springfield got on the board first at the 26:10 mark when the RPI defense had a miscue off a corner kick, in which the ball was deflected, ultimately finding its way past senior goalie Tara Marandino.
The Pride would get its next chance late in the first half from another corner kick opportunity. Springfield senior Jessica Denehy headed the ball off the kick from freshman teammate Jillian Pereira, who was just out of the reach of Marandino. The score gave Springfield a 2-0 advantage heading into halftime as RPI found themselves in a slight hole.
When play resumed, the Red Hawks mounted their best efforts to try and make a comeback. The charge was started at the 51:57 mark, when sophomore Sarah Hinz crossed the ball nicely to Sarah Briggs, a junior, who blasted the shot into the right side of the net, cutting the deficit to one. With RPI now back in the game, it looked as if they could very likely find a way to fight all the way back just as they had done in weeks past.
With a solid defense, led by Marandino (who had 12 saves on the day), Rensselaer kept Springfield from increasing their margin. Ultimately, the women could not capitalize on any of the opportunities they were faced with and fell short.
The Red Hawks’ record now stands at 2-2-1 as the team begins the upcoming important stretch of the season. This week has RPI scheduled to take on Union College on Friday at 6 pm, and then Skidmore the next day at 4 pm, both games being held at home at Harkness Field.
The women are undoubtedly making strides week in and week out, but coming up is an important string of games that will set the tone for the remainder of the season. It will be interesting to see if the women can take it to the next level and raise their intensity as they try to establish themselves as an legitimate contender in the Liberty League this season.
