TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Fightin' Engineers improved to 2-1 on the season, as Rose-Hulman overcame an early 1-0 deficit and took down the Wabash Little Giants by a score of 2-1.
Rose-Hulman wasted no time putting the pressure on, as sophomore
Eli Miller fired a shot on goal that was caught a minute into the match.
The Little Giants would respond with their first shot a minute later from beyond the far side of the box by Myles Bernat. Bernat's shot sailed into the top left corner of the goal, putting Wabash in the lead with Alfredo Campos recording the assist.
The Fightin' Engineers would have multiple chances to tie the game, with senior
Aidan Kriek heading a shot on goal off a corner kick that was blocked by Wabash's defense in the 19
th minute. Senior
Peter Borger added a moon ball shot two minutes later, which was deflected away by goalkeeper, Ansel Rincon.
RHIT would make their first sub of the game at the 32-minute mark, putting freshman
Pace Morel and junior
Chase Kedzior into the game. Less than two minutes later, Morel scored the Fightin' Engineers' first goal of the game, on a shot from the far-left corner of the box with Kedzior dishing out the assist.
The first half concluded tied at 1-1, with Rose-Hulman recording nine shots to Wabash's five and six corner kicks to Wabash's three.
The Fightin' Engineers built on their momentum at the start of the second half, as Kedzior recorded a 49th-minute shot on goal, which was caught by Rincon.
In the 55
th minute, freshman
Ryan Shapiro was on a fast break, where he was fouled from behind at the top of the box. The Little Giants were given a red card for the foul, and Shapiro was awarded a free kick.
Shapiro fired his shot to the bottom right side of the goal, which rolled past the keeper, giving Rose-Hulman a 2-1 lead.
Morel would nearly score the second goal of his collegiate career in the 67
th minute, but his shot was deflected away on a diving save, into the crossbar. Kedzior also continued to thrive in the second half, dribbling past two Wabash defenders before firing a shot down the middle that was saved in the 76
th minute.
During the final minutes, Wabash attempted multiple crosses into the box, which would all be denied and kicked away by the Rose-Hulman defense. Rose-Hulman was able to secure their 2-1 comeback victory, where they finished the match outshooting Wabash 19-9, while recording 9 corner kicks to Wabash's four.
The RHIT defense only allowed three shots on goal throughout the game, where freshman keeper
Justin Burns accumulated two saves.
The Fightin' Engineers will continue their homestand on Saturday, September 6, as they go up against the Principia College Panthers at 3:30 PM.
