Engineers to face Golden Knights in playoffs

Rensselaer hosted the Ithaca Bombers on the final day of the season, needing just one point to surpass St. Lawrence and Vassar and secure a Liberty League playoff spot.

Ithaca took the lead after six minutes. Ava Detorie sped down the far sideline after receiving a pass, sending a low ball across the face of goal. The RPI defense failed to clear the cross out of the box, allowing Ally Stanton to poke the ball under the diving goalkeeper and into the net. The Bombers nearly scored off of a corner kick halfway through the half, but defender Hannah Krieg managed to clear the ball off the goal line. Later in the half, Engineer goalkeeper Megan Wampner rushed out and smothered the ball at the feet of an Ithaca striker on a one-on-one opportunity to keep the Engineers in the game.

With a little over five minutes remaining in the half, Tulsi Pari launched a free kick upfield from Engineer territory. A Bomber jumped up for a header, but ended up flicking the ball further upfield. Forward Sarah Sedlacek knocked the ball to Veronica Martinez de Pinillos in the box and Martinez de Pinillos whipped a one-time half-volley over the Ithaca goalie for the Engineers’ equalizer.

Eight minutes into the second half, the Engineers’ midfield linked up to switch the point of attack to the right wing. RPI’s Brooke Miller lofted a cross to the back post for Borra, forcing the Ithaca backline to shift to their right. With the goalkeeper’s feet not yet set after repositioning, Borra smoothly placed her shot into the far side-netting to give the Engineers a one-goal cushion.

The Bombers tied the game back up in the final eight minutes after Jayne Bogle dribbled through the heart of the RPI midfield and rocketed a pinpoint strike past Wampner from over 25 yards out. The Engineers held out for the remainder of the game to claim a crucial point and secure their place in the playoffs. Click here for the box score and here for the RPI TV broadcast. The Engineers finished fifth in the Liberty League with a record of 3‒4‒2. RPI travels to Potsdam to take on the Clarkson Golden Knights in the first round of the postseason on October 31.