SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Sophomore Alex Dotseth scored in the 73rd minute of the game, breaking a scoreless tie and giving the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's soccer team its first win of the season. The Engineers played solid defense toward the end to defeat Worcester State, 1-0 at the 2011 Union Classic.

A corner kick by junior Sean Southall (Streetly, England/QMCS) saw the ball sail across the middle to the far left corner. Junior Michael Birk (Albertson, NY/Mineola) corralled the ball, sending a short pass into the middle. On the hop, Dotseth took two steps before drilling the ball into the top right corner of the net.

Rensselaer played solid defense down the final stretch as sophomore keeper Craig Bennett (Oakdale, NY/Connetquot) was forced to make just one save over the second half. He stopped five total in the game.

A back-and-forth battle to open the game quickly saw Worcester State take control as they possessed the ball for the majority of the opening 25 minutes. Despite the lack of ball control for the Engineers, the cherry and white had a number of chances. 

One of the top opportunities came in the 32nd minute as senior captain Andrew Tambasco (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) raced down the right side in a battle with a Lacers' defender. Making a quick cut, Tambasco fired the ball into the middle, which redirected off a Worcester State player and nearly went in if not for keeper Evan Wilga (Dudley, ,MA/Shepherd Hill), who made the quick grab. He finished with seven saves.

The Lancers saw quality shots of their own at the RPI net, including a shot by senior Julian Morales (Brighton, MA/Brighton) from the far left side of the box. His shot sailed in, but was headed away and out of play byDotseth.

Heading into the second half of action, the Engineers nearly saw Worcester State grab the lead as a disastrous turnover in the RPI zone at the 52 minute mark saw Lancers' freshman Michael Jordan (Ludlow, MA/Ludlow) corral the ball, slip past a defender for a one-on-one shot with the goalie. Bennett made the solid play, diving out for the stop to push the ball out of the box and preserve the tie.

The final stats saw the Engineers dominate the game, holding a 21-8 advantage in shots. RPI had a slight 4-3 edge in corner kicks.  

RPI is back in action on Saturday against Cazenovia on day two of the Union Classic (3:30pm). The Wildcats lost to the host Dutchmen by a 3-1 margin in the earlier contest. Worcester will face Union at 6pm.