BOSTON, Mass. — The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's soccer team opened the 2026 season with a 1-1 draw against Suffolk this afternoon at East Boston Memorial Park. The Engineers struck in the opening two minutes and controlled much of the offensive play, finishing with a 9-4 advantage in shots and a 5-1 edge in shots on goal.
RPI wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as
Maddy Kaminski found the back of the net just 1:28 into the contest.
Micaela Ross provided the assist on the opening tally to give the Engineers an early 1-0 advantage. Kaminski continued to threaten throughout the opening half, forcing Suffolk goalkeeper Arden Rose into a save in the 16th minute before
Elsa Ryan put another effort on target less than three minutes later.
Suffolk answered in the 20th minute when Olivia Sharkansky converted a setup from Sophie St. George and Scarlett D'Amico to level the score at 1-1. RPI continued to apply pressure following the equalizer, with Ryan recording another shot on goal in the 32nd minute, but Rose made the stop to keep the game even heading into halftime. The Engineers held a 5-1 advantage in shots over the opening 45 minutes.
The Engineers again created the first quality chance of the second half. Kaminski put an attempt on target in the 50th minute, but Rose made her fourth save of the afternoon. Ryan followed with attempts in the 59th and 75th minutes, while
Annabelle Bachhuber also generated a shot in the 71st minute as RPI searched for the go-ahead goal. Suffolk managed three shots during the second half, but none were on target as the Engineers' defense kept the Rams from seriously threatening the RPI goal over the final 45 minutes.
Kaminski paced the Rensselaer attack with three shots, putting all three on goal and accounting for the Engineers' lone tally. Ryan finished with a game-high four shots, including two on target, while Ross and Bachhuber recorded one attempt apiece. Ross also collected the assist on Kaminski's goal. Rose finished with four saves for Suffolk.
Ava Gaboury played the opening 45 minutes in goal for RPI before
Hanna Pihu took over after halftime. Gaboury surrendered the Rams' lone goal, while Pihu helped preserve the draw with a scoreless second half. The Engineers finished the afternoon with advantages of 9-4 in total shots and 5-1 in shots on goal, while Suffolk held a 2-0 edge in corner kicks.
