For the RPI women’s soccer team, the season began with a promising five straight victories by a combined 22­-6 margin. Since then, however, the Red Hawks have struggled in five consecutive home matches. Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Vassar College Brewers at Renwyck Field brought the Red Hawks back to a .500 record, at 5-5 on the season.
“[Vassar] brought some personality and some heart to the game, and we didn’t quite match it. It took us out of our rhythm and out of our game, and put us on our heels for a little bit,” said Head Coach Cord Farmer.
The Brewers outplayed the Red Hawks throughout the first half, holding a 9-3 advantage in shots and receiving five corner kick opportunities. RPI held defensively for most of the half, but Vassar was able to score twice near the end. Freshman Caroline Jacquiss recorded the Brewers’ first goal in the 39th minute, taking a pass from senior Nola Solomon on the left side of the goal and hitting it past sophomore goalkeeper Meghan White. Solomon followed up her assist with a goal of her own off a corner kick in the 45th minute to give Vassar a 2-0 edge at halftime.
The Red Hawks stepped up their play in the second half and had several good chances to score, but just could not find the back of the net. RPI recorded 13 shots in the half, more than four times its first half total. “I just thought the kids finally got a little more composed to deal with the physical part of the game,” stated Farmer.
Senior goalkeeper Anne Hutchinson stopped four shots in goal for Vassar, while White recorded the same number for the Red Hawks. The Brewers now stand at 2-1 in the Liberty League, and 6-3 overall, while the Red Hawks’ fifth loss in a row leaves them at 5-5.
“We’re kind of making little errors here and there—and they’re costing us dearly. We’re not taking advantage when other teams are making errors. To be honest, I think that’s been the difference in a lot of the games that we’ve been losing on this little streak right now,” stated Farmer.
“We’re letting other teams set the tempo and the tone of the game, and then we’re matching it, instead of going out and setting our own tempo and playing our way.”
The game against Vassar was the last at home for the Red Hawks on the season. RPI is now 0-3 against Liberty League opponents, and will have to earn wins on the road as it looks to make a late run at qualifying for the Liberty League tournament.
The Red Hawks have five remaining road matches, four against Liberty League opponents. This weekend, RPI will take on St. Lawrence University and Clarkson University on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Two weeks later, the Red Hawks will close out their regular season with matches at William Smith College and Hamilton College.
As for making the Liberty League tournament? “If we want to guarantee ourselves in, we need to win all of them.,” said Farmer referrring to the team’s remaining league contests. The head coach sees 12 points—three points are earned for a win—as the number the Red Hawks would need to qualify.
Improving offensive production will be vital for the Red Hawks as the team looks to make a push towards the postseason in its final matches. The RPI offense that averaged over four goals per game during the five-game winning streak to open the season has been shut out in four of its five losses, including all three against Liberty League opponents.
“Some of the other teams are better organized than the teams we saw in the past, how they’re marking in the box and how they’re tracking people and defending people,” explained Farmer. “I think we’re not getting as much space and as much time on the ball around their box or getting as wide open in there to finish headers and crosses.”
RPI has lost to both William Smith and Hamilton each of the last two seasons, making this weekend’s matches all the more important. St. Lawrence stands at 1-1 in the Liberty League, while Clarkson is winless at 0-3.
The Red Hawks will need to win at least one of those matches to have a chance at finishing in the top four in the Liberty League and earning a berth in the league tournament. Farmer stated, “We need to get a tie and a win out of this weekend, or I think that our Liberty League conference tournament hopes are in trouble.”
“The difference is going to be who’s going to take their chances,” said Farmer of this weekend’s matches. “We’ve been creating more than enough chances against everybody we’ve played to score goals against them.”
