The Women’s Field Hockey Team was back in action this week, keeping alive their five-win streak. They began their Liberty League schedule last Friday against the University of Rochester Yellowjackets at home and emerged triumphant with a score of 1-0. The next day they were back in action against the 11th-ranked team in the nation, the William Smith Herons, and the Red Hawks were determined to leave the field with a win.
Following the two victories, the Red Hawks are now ranked 18th in the nation.
On September 26, the girls faced the Yellowjackets in what proved to be an intense match. Each goalie made one save in the first half, yet neither team was able to score a goal. With 10 minutes left in the second half, the Red Hawks were awarded a penalty stroke. Junior Alex Lamarski was able to guide the ball directly into the goal, marking her first goal of the season and raising the Red Hawks 1-0.
Neither team was able to make any headway in the remaining time, leaving the Red Hawks to take home the win. Freshman goalkeeper Briana Earle stopped all six shots and improved her record to 6-2, including two shut-outs. She was named Liberty League Rookie of the Week and boasts 59 saves with a .855 save percentage.
The next day, the team was back on the field against William Smith College, who held an undefeated record of 7-0. The Red Hawks knew that they would have a tough match, yet they were eager to face them and determined to do their best. The Herons made the first goal of the game seven minutes in and maintained this 1-0 lead for the majority of the first half. With less than 30 seconds left in the half, the Red Hawks were awarded a penalty corner. Sophomore Sandy Turnbull hit the ball to senior Sara Stylinski on the short side, who returned it to Turnbull, who then successfully navigated the ball to the net for her fifth goal of the season.
The second half was just as exciting, with both teams trying to break the 1-1 from the first half. The first break came after junior Shaina Feldman picked up a rebound. For the next twenty minutes, the Red Hawks kept the Herons’ goalkeeper busy, yet they were not able to gain another goal. Ten minutes from the conclusion of the second half the Herons slipped by Earle in a scramble in front of the goal to tie the score once again at 2-2. As time expired, neither team had scored another goal to take lead so they entered overtime. Senior forward Kristiina Baker, who was assisted by sophomore Jessica Corrigan, scored with 4:41 left in overtime, bringing home the victory for RPI.
The Red Hawks dominated the game in both saves and shots with a total of 11 saves and 21 shots versus William Smith’s nine and 16, respectively. This victory against the 11th-ranked team in the nation boosted RPI’s spirits and has planted a determination to succeed in future matches. “I think the more that we keep winning, the more that we will be getting some attention,” noted Head Coach Bridget LaNoir, “but we just need to keep working on the little things, and the more that we do that the easier it will get for us. I think it’s just important for us to be focused on accomplishing little bits and pieces, our little goals.”
These two games brought the Red Hawks’ overall record to 7-2, with a league record of 2-0. Today, the girls will travel to battle Vassar College, where they hope to continue their success. “We just need to make sure we think about getting lots of shots on goal and protecting our goal, protecting our defense, doing strong passes, and just thinking about getting one thing accomplished at one time and not getting ahead of ourselves,” remarked LaNoir.
