TROY, N.Y. – Junior Josh Price the scored the only goal of the game in the second half to lead the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), on Friday afternoon at East Campus Stadium. With the win, the Tigers improve to 8-2-3 overall (3-0-2 Liberty League), while the Engineers drop to 8-2-2 (4-1-0 Liberty League).
Price (Baldwinsville, NY / C.W. Baker) raced onto a through ball from freshman Jaden Longdon (East Stroudsburg, PA / East Stroudsburg) in the 63rd minute, tucking a right-footed shot past RPI senior goalie
Luke Brezak (Camano Island, WA / The Overlake School). The tally was Price's fourth of the season, while the assist was Longdon's team-leading fifth.
The Engineers had a handful of opportunities to equalize in the final 25 minutes, including a clean break on goal by senior
Billy Chissoe (Gig Harbor, WA / Charles A. Wright) where is his low shot was stopped by RIT freshman goalkeeper Jason Trapp (Bayville, NJ / Central Regional).
A last-second RPI free-kick just outside the Tigers penalty area was curled over the bar by senior
Tommaso Valagussa (Arlington, MA / Arlington), giving the Engineers their first home defeat in 23 matches.
RPI had a number of scoring chances in the opening 45 minutes, including a shot off the right post by Chissoe in the seventh minute. Taking the ball on the right wing, he cut back to the middle and ripped a left-footed shot that caromed off the right upright.
Just two minutes later, Chissoe sailed a half-volley over the bar from 10 yards out, after junior
Josh Gaudiano (Manhattan Beach, CA / Mira Costa) send a bounding cross from the left in the middle of the 18.
In the 31st minute, Chissoe got on the end of a long ball from freshman Julio Rodriguez (Miami, FL / NSU University School) on the right side of the box, but ran out of room and delivered a short-angle shot that was stopped and held by Trapp.
Brezak finished with one save on the day, while Trapp had five at the other end for the clean sheet.
The Engineers are back in action tomorrow afternoon, when they host Hobart for Senior Day (2pm). RIT heads to Skidmore for a league match tomorrow (2pm).
