Blazers Unable To Hang With RPI

Blazers Unable To Hang With RPI

TROY, N.Y. – The Elms College men's soccer team fell 6-0 to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institue (RPI) on Sunday afternoon.

AJ Oliveira made seven saves in the game for Elms (0-4) but the Enginners peppered Elms with 21 shots in the game, including 13 shots on-goal. The Blazers, meanwhile, finished the game with two shots, both on-goal.

RPI (2-2) Sophomore Michael Harten (Merrick, NY/Stanford H. Calhoun) opened the scoring in the fourth minute, when he smashed home a low cross from junior Austin Betterly (Plymouth Meeting, PA/Plymouth Whitemarsh) for his first collegiate goal. 

Harten doubled the RPI advantage just six minutes later, cleaning up a failed clearance in the middle of the penalty area and finishing into the right side-netting from 12 yards out. 

Junior Matt Menendez (North Port, FL/North Port) made it 3-0 with his first RPI goal in the 23rd minute. Rensselaer capped the first half scoring in the 44th minute, when freshman Billy Chissoe (Gig Harbor, WA/Charles Wright Academy) got into the act, rifling a low, right-footed shot from the top of the 18, that made its way through traffic and into the back of the net.

Sophomore Joe Di Miceli (Rockville Centre, NY/Oceanside) curled a left-footed free kick into the top right corner of the net in the 61st minute to give the hosts 5-0 advantage. His first collegiate goal made it over the Blazers' four-man wall and just under the bar.

RPI concluded its scoring in the 79th minute on senior Hunter Best's (Loudonville, NY/Albany) first goal for the Engineers. Freshman Shaye Sealy (Katy, TX/Unversity of Nebraska High School) dribbled a pair of defenders, before cutting a ball across the face of goal for Best, who finished first time with his left foot.

The Engineers are back in action on Wednesday night, when they host Oneonta at East Campus Stadium (7:30pm). Elms visits Newbury College on Saturday (3pm).