The women’s soccer team is at it again, sweeping another weekend of non-conference action and pulling their record to an astounding undefeated 5-0. Last Wednesday saw the Red Hawks decimate the Bard College Raptors by a score of 6-0, and this past Saturday the team struck down the Utica College Pioneers in a close-fought match by a decision of 4-3.
“[Having a] 5-0 feels [record] good, but we know we have a lot to work on in order to accomplish our goals this year,” said first-year Head Coach Cord Farmer on the team’s perfect record. “We take each game one at a time, 1-0 at the end of each game. I believe the positive start has been good for our confidence, and helps establish that some new ideas that have been implemented are paying dividends in our results, goal scoring, and style of play. We have a tough road ahead with some of the best teams in the country and starting the season in this manner hopefully has given us some belief that if we work hard, execute properly, and the ball bounces the right way, we will be competitive.”
Wednesday’s matchup against Bard saw five different Red Hawks tally, including two by junior midfielder Brianna Bet. RPI opened up scoring midway through the first half with a goal by freshman Alexandra Fontanetta, which was the first half’s only goal. Bet’s first goal of the game came at the 50-minute mark, with a pretty shot from the top of the box right over the Raptors freshman goalkeep Nic Minatel’s head. Six minutes later, senior Judy Kastner’s pass deflected off a Bard defender and into the net, bringing the Red Hawks up 3-0. Bet added her second of the game, as did classmate Amanda Nicklin less than a minute apart at the 66th minute of play. Fellow junior Amanda Brophy closed out the evening with the final goal of the night within the last minute of play.
Sophomore goaltender Meghan White started the game for the Red Hawks, but gave way after 16 minutes of play to classmate Jaclyn Henry, who earned her first career win.
Bard’s Minatel stopped 10 shots during her time in net, before being relieved by freshman Jessica Philpott, who made no saves in the loss.
RPI rallied back from a two-goal deficit in the second half to defeat host Utica College on Saturday afternoon, keeping in tune with the perfect season. The Pioneers now sit 2-2 overall after the weekend’s matchup.
Within the first five minutes of play, Utica made its message heard with a goal by senior Ashley Granger, including an assist from junior Danielle Smith. Fontanetta added her second tally of the weekend less than 30 seconds later to knot the game up at one, but the Pioneers came back with two quick goals by freshman Jill Benoit and Smith for the lead. Within a minute of Utica’s last goal, Kastner dropped the deficit by one with her team-leading eighth goal of the season, straight into the top-right corner.
Bringing that momentum into the second half, Kastner added another tally to tie the game up at three. Both teams battled for possession and shots on net until 81:55, when junior captain Jacquelyn Garlasco sent a lead pass to freshman Catherine Harvey, who headed the ball past Pioneer sophomore goaltender Monique Schneeberger for the game-winner and 4-3 lead.
“I think the match against Utica was just what we needed. There was no unexpected competition, we fully expected the Utica match to be a tough test for us,” said Farmer. “Away for the first time of the year, on a rough grass surface for the first time and playing a well organized team with some very quality players in their attack ... we knew it would be a tough contest. As much as I do not wish to get scored on, I was very interested to see our response from going behind for the first time all year. We made some tactical adjustments on the fly and at half-time, which I commend the team for implementing into our play, and the team really stepped up their intensity and work-rate defensively, which made for tremendous second half showing. We did not play the brand of soccer we have worked hard to bring to each game, but we found a way to win and be effective in the attack and that is what is most important in close contests.”
Following the matches against Bard and Utica, Fontanetta was tabbed by the Liberty League as the Rookie of the Week for soccer. “It’s been a really exciting season so far,” said Fontanetta. “Everyone on the team is training hard and playing a key role in moving the team forward. I’m really enjoying being able to make an impact. Playing college ball is a lot different from high school ball. Luckily, I have learned a tremendous amount from the upperclassmen and being able to play with them is really helping me to develop.”
RPI women’s soccer returns to action at home this Saturday against Springfield College at noon, and again at Renwyck Field Tuesday at 5 pm against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts as they look to continue on their undefeated season.
