The RPI men’s soccer team, coming off wins in its past two games and improving its overall season record to 5-3-1, hit the road to take on Hobart College and Hamilton College on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
On Friday, it was Hobart who got on the board first and set the tone early. Sophomore Sam Wisner scored off a corner kick with a header, the assist coming from classmate Grant Morrison, giving the home team a 1-0 lead at the 8:13 mark.
Senior Gary Sroka answered back for the Red Hawks at the 25:14 mark. Sroka beat Hobart’s goalie junior Pete Van Dellon, blasting a shot in for the score from 24 yards out, tying the game up at one.
Play was fairly even for the remainder of the first half. Both teams were tied with three corner kicks, while RPI took six more shots on goal, eight compared to Hobart’s two. Van Dellon made four saves in the first for the Statesmen, and freshman Alex Penny made none for Rensselaer, yet despite all that, the game remained knotted up at one headed into the break.
When play resumed, the action picked up right where it left off. Unfortunately for the Red Hawks, it was Hobart who pulled away in the second half. At the 52:45 mark sophomore Tom Moulton gave the Statesmen their second lead of the game. Moulton netted a long shot from 28-yards out past Penny.
Roughly five minutes later, junior Dan Riso cushioned Hobart’s lead with a goal into the left side of the net, making it a 3-1 ball game, which would end up being the final score. With the win, 14th-ranked Hobart improved to 8-1-1 on the season, while Rensselaer dropped to 5-4-1. The tables were turned on RPI in the second half. This time, it was Hobart that dominated the field of play, outshooting its opponent 11-5 in the frame which ultimately proved to be the downfall of the Rensselaer men who struggled to get opportunities to score as they fell further and further behind.
Sunday’s match-up with Hamilton proved to be quite dramatic. Less than four minutes into the contest, junior Max Akuamoah-Boateng gave the Continentals a quick boost with an early goal, heading in a ball off of a corner kick for the 1-0 advantage.
Akuamoah-Boteng, though, got two yellow cards in the first half and was ejected from the game, which forced Hamilton to play with 10 players for the duration of the match. The loss would not hurt the Continentals in the first half, as they maintained the 1-0 lead headed into halftime while outshooting RPI 10-5 in the frame. However, it would play a factor later in the game.
In the second half, the action intensified. At the 49:51 mark, sophomore Jabel Prom tied the game at one with an unassisted goal. Junior Jessie Arroyave answered back for Hamilton, capitalizing on a Rensselaer turnover to give his team a 2-1 advantage.
Prom, however, spoiled the Continentals’ fifth win of the year with a late goal off a corner kick at the 69:37 mark to tie the game up once again, 2-2, and send it into overtime.
In the extra frame, both teams managed just two shots in the two periods of extra play as the game ended in a 2-2 tie. For the day, RPI was outshot 14-24 and had three fewer corner kicks, five compared to Hamilton’s eight. The Red Hawks also committed eight fewer fouls, 9-17. Penny made 10 saves for RPI while freshman Anthony Carello made five for the Continentals. For his efforts in the game, Prom was named Liberty League Performer of the Week.
At week’s end, RPI now stands at 5-4-2. Rensselaer will return home to take on Keene State College on Wednesday at 6:30 pm. The men will then square off with Vassar College on Saturday at 2 pm in a Liberty League contest. Vassar is 6-3-1 on the season, and is coming off of a loss to Hamilton and a tie with Hobart.
