On Saturday, the RPI women’s soccer team broke out of its three-game skid with a 2-0 victory over Elmira College. It was a tough game in the sense that the Elmira Soaring Eagles were looking for their first win of the season, and being home with a lot of fans in attendance, the atmosphere was a little harsh for the visiting Red Hawks.
Play opened up rather quickly with a corner kick and a missed shot by Elmira, showing Rensselaer that there would be no cakewalk on this day. After a few fouls on both squads, RPI struck the first blow. Sophomore Judy Kastner netted an unassisted goal past Eagles goalie Meaghan Doherty at the 18:20 mark.
Up 1-0, Rensselaer was hungry for more. Roughly two minutes after Kastner’s goal, sophomore Sarah Hinz scored one goal of her own. Her goal was number four of the season, which is the highest total on the team. RPI would be content with their two goal advantage in the opening half of play, and with the score 2-0, both teams took their respective ends on the sideline for halftime.
In the second half, Elmira came out stronger with an intense, pressing defense. The Eagles’ plan of attack was to send the ball long and put pressure on RPI while they brought the ball up the field in an attempt to score goals.
The Red Hawks held their own as they battled the heavy defense. Head Coach Eric Miller made adjustments with his players by way of substitutions to combat the Eagles’ attack. Miller described how one important aspect of his team was its depth in terms of skillful players, and he used it to his advantage in this game to hold off Elmira for the duration of the second half.
RPI won the game by a final score of 2-0. Senior goalie Tara Marandino stopped the only shot she saw and ensured the victory. With the win, the Red Hawks record now stands at 3-4-1 on the season.
“I think the game was good for us,” said Miller. He added, “We learned to deal with a lot of pressure in a tight situation. It takes a team about a season and a half to adjust to a new system. Right now, we’re halfway through the year and I think we’re adapting well.”
The upcoming schedule looks to be tough for the Red Hawks. Their next four games are against the top four teams in the conference tournament last year, and all but William Smith defeated RPI. It will be a good test for the Red Hawks in an important stretch of the season.
This week, RPI will take on Union College on Friday at 6 pm, and then Skidmore College on Saturday at 4 pm; both games will be home at Harkness Field. Come out and support the Red Hawks as they enter a week in which they have two Liberty League contests.
