TROY, N.Y. - Senior Giana Abballe scored two second half goals and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's soccer team held Bard College off the scoreboard as the Engineers defeated the Raptors, 3-0, in a Liberty League contest at East Campus Stadium. Rensselaer improves to 8-3-1 overall and 3-1-0 in the league. Bard falls to 4-8-1 and 0-5-0.

After a scoreless first half in which RPI held a 10-4 edge in shots and a 4-3 advantage in corner kicks, the Engineers needed just under five minutes of the second half to take the lead. Senior Giana Abballe (Old Tappan, NJ / Northern Valley Regional) collected a ball off a Bard defender and broke in alone on goal. She outdistanced herself from the opposition and scored on a low shot into the left side of the goal in the 50th minute. The goal was the third of the season for Abballe, who was one of six seniors recognized prior to the game.

Abballe doubled the lead 10 minutes later when she headed in a goal just inside the left post off a long cross from classmate Brooke Van Baush (Loganville, GA / Grayson).

Alex Shaw (Jamison, PA / Central Bucks East), another senior, finished the scoring when she scored on a right-to-left cross from freshman Ali Zumpetta (Mount Laurel, NJ / Lenape) late in the half. Shaw's goal, her first of the season, came in the 88th minute.

Senior Steph Vargas (Fogelsville, PA / Allentown Central Catholic) made two saves to earn the shutout victory, while freshman Kelsey O'Brien (Southampton, NJ / Seneca) had three saves for the visitors.

Rensselaer outshot Bard, 20-4, and had three more corners (6-3).

RPI is back in action on Friday afternoon at nationally-ranked William Smith College (4pm). The Raptors travel to Clarkson University for a match on Friday at 4pm. Both games are Liberty League contests.