Box Score | RPI Athletics on YouTube

TROY, N.Y. – Junior Brett Pyser, sophomore Vito Mesiti and freshman Zack Sikorski each scored their first collegiate goals to help the 16th-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's soccer team to a 4-0 victory over Lyndon State College, this evening at East Campus Stadium. With the win, the Engineers improve to 4-0-1, while the Hornets drop to 2-1.
 
Pyser (Easthampton, MA/Williston Northampton) got the scoring started in the sixth minute, when he headed home an in-swinging corner kick from junior Paul Lentine (Penfield, NY/Penfield Senior).
 
Rensselaer nearly made it 2-0 in the 19th minute, but junior Matt Carberry's (Auburn, NY/Auburn) cross from the right flank was headed over the net by classmate Nathaniel Gunderson (Olympia, WA/Tumwater).
 
The Engineers continued to create chances throughout the opening stanza, out-shooting the Hornets 14-0, but took just a 1-0 lead to the break. Senior captain and starting goalkeeper Rob Dewald (Arlington, VA/Washington-Lee) gave way to sophomore Alex Kessler (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem) to start the second half.
 
Early in the second, Pyser had a chance at the brace, but his header off a Carberry cross bounded wide of the right post in the 50th minute.
 
Moments later, the Engineers broke through for a second time as Pyser launched a ball forward for classmate Esmir Hadzic (Burlington, VT/Burlington), who caught Lyndon State goalkeeper Jason Marks (Newtown, CT) off his line and chipped him from 35 yards out. The tally, which came in the 51st minute, was Hadzic's second of the year.
 
Mesiti (Slingerlands, NY/Guilderland) gave the hosts a 3-0 lead in the 56th minute, finishing first-time on a service from classmate Andrew Gondek (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa). Gondek found Mesiti along at the top of the penalty area for his first goal in cherry & white.
 
Freshman Zach Sikorski (Monroe, NY/Monroe Woodbury) capped the scoring in the 90th minute, when he got on the end of a long ball up the right side by sophomore Nick Revano (Metuchen, NJ/Hun School of Princeton) and broke in all alone with Marks. Sikorski slotted home his first RPI tally low and inside the near post.
 
Marks (1-1) finished with five saves in defeat, while Dewald (3-0-1) earned the victory without seeing a shot on target. RPI finished with a 26-1 advantage in shots, including 9-0 on goal.
 
The Engineers are back in action on Saturday, when they travel to Salem State for 1pm kick-off. Lyndon State hosts Mitchell on Sunday at 2:30pm.