RPI Looks to Add to Program's Rich History, Championship Pedigree

Only once before in its prolific men’s lacrosse history has Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute accomplished what it did this season, when RPI won its first 13 games. It was 76 years ago.

In 1948, the Engineers finished 13-0 and subsequently were picked to represent the United States in the Olympics, the last time that lacrosse was included (as a demonstration sport) in the Games. Food was still being rationed after World War II and aluminum shafts were more than 30 years away from being introduced. The Engineers also were USILA co-national champions with Virginia in 1952 — pre-NCAA when there were no divisions and the champion’s Wingate Memorial Trophy was awarded by committee vote.

RPI’s start this year elevated it to No. 2 in the country before the Engineers sustained their only loss of the season, a 16-14 defeat at Amherst last Wednesday. They rebounded with a 21-10 win over Skidmore to improve to 14-1 heading into this Saturday’s Senior Day game against visiting St. Lawrence with the chance to go 7-0 and wrap up the top seed in the Liberty League.

The NCAA tournament that they were left out last year should follow. RPI has renewed confidence, but it’s only the beginning for a program determined to add to its championship pedigree.

“What we've really tried to do is just recognize them for that and congratulate them on those accomplishments along the way, and then remind them that we still haven't done anything that we set out to do this year,” Engineers coach Scott Hackett-Dalgliesh said. “Going undefeated, being ranked number two in the country was never the goal. They’re awesome accomplishments and history will speak of us how they're going to, and we certainly feel honored to be talked about in the breadth of some of those amazing, unbelievable RPI teams of the past. But we're focused on going after SLU this weekend.”

It's another step for a program that has been building under Hackett-Dalgliesh, who had previous stops as an assistant coach at Dartmouth, Brown and Lafayette and as the head coach at Division III Marywood in Scranton, Pa. He took over for Jim Townsend, who retired after double-digit wins in seven of his final eight seasons at RPI.

“One of the many reasons I was really excited about joining the RPI lacrosse history and legacy and getting an opportunity to be the head coach here is because of that championship culture and the history and NCAA tournament appearances,” Hackett-Dalgliesh said. “We were the first institution to hold the USILA North-South All-Star Game outside of Maryland and Baltimore. On top of the Olympic team and the national championship, one of our pillars of the program that we talk a lot about is this legacy —  being connected to that, being a part of that and recognizing that we stand on the shoulders of all those that came before us.”

The Engineers haven’t made it to the Liberty League championship since 2016. They hosted a semifinal tournament game in 2023, their first time hosting since 2018. They last won the league tournament in 2010. The players know the history of RPI success thanks in part to Hackett-Dalgliesh.

“Coach Dags has brought up archives that date back to those years like my grandparents’ age,” graduate midfielder Luke Murphy said. “It’s cool to learn they were hitchhiking to games. It's great history to learn about, as well as playing in the Olympics, playing in front of the Queen. One thing for sure with us is just respecting the tradition, the past and just knowing about the history of RPI. Learning more about that brings a lot of pride to being part of the program.”

Murphy is in his fifth year at RPI, finishing a master’s in supply chain management. The Scituate, Mass., native has been a part of the emergence of the program that mirrors his own development from a player who had one assist in his first two years (though 2020 and 2021 were reduced to 10 total games by the COVID-19 pandemic) to 34 points in his third year, 57 last year and a team-leading 73 points this year on 55 goals and 18 assists.

“He's a special young man that has worked tremendously hard to get his game to where it is today,” Hackett-Dalgliesh said. “You talk about progress and go back and look at his stats over the course of his career, and it’s just unbelievable.”

Murphy is a headliner for the Engineers. He scored a career-high seven goals in the bounce-back win over Skidmore. Goalkeeper Joseph Perry was added to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List midseason, captain Caleb Oswari was an honorable mention All-American defenseman last year, and midfielders Anthony Mazzella and Angelo Venuto are also returning All-Americans.

But they also credit players who aren’t seen on the field on game days as much — guys like Jay Gollob, Michael Kline, Jack Morad, Nolan Smith and Hunter Sullivan, a goalie that Murphy said is always up for extra shots — for raising their level through this season.

“No egos on the team about playing and not playing,” Murphy said. “Everyone's just in it together and wants to push each other each and every day.”

Murphy’s class joined the program on the heels of Hackett-Dalgliesh’s first season in 2019, when the Engineers went 12-5 in 2019. Hackett-Dalgliesh is the first to note that the cupboard was not left bare by Townsend. RPI had good athleticism and toughness. Hackett-Dalgliesh put a focus on raising the skill level and lacrosse IQ and playing a high-pressure style to fluster opponents.

“We're not just reliant on one phase of the game,” Hackett-Dalgliesh said. “We're able to attack from end line to end line and sideline to sideline and in all kinds of different ways.”

It’s been a slow, but steady build. The pandemic curtailed the 2020 season with RPI at 4-2 after then-No. 3 Williams came back to hand the Engineers a 13-11 loss. They gained something from leading for three quarters.

“You could feel it in our guys that there was a new sense of belief,” Hackett-Dalgliesh said. “We'd been telling them that they could play with anybody in the country, but I'm not sure that they had quite really seen it yet. Seeing is believing. They saw it that day, and then we got shut down.”

The next step for the Engineers came during the hiatus and the 2021 season that was reduced to four games.  Hackett-Dalgliesh points to the upperclassmen’s leadership through that frustrating and challenging time.

“I was really concerned about us losing what we had started to build, and kind of starting over again,” he said. “But they did an awesome job staying true to our culture and our values and our leaders. And that catapulted us into 2022.”

RPI went 10-6 in 2022, losing in the Liberty League tournament semifinals and the NCAA tournament second round. Last year, the Engineers won five of their final six games before losing to Union in the league tournament semifinals to close with a 9-7 mark. They did not receive an NCAA tournament bid.

“We knew we were a team capable of doing some stuff and then Selection Sunday came around,” Murphy said. “We didn't hear our name and that was that was very hard, but it was also a great favor in the long run in the sense that it was very, very motivating.”

Added Hackett-Dagliesh: “We probably missed the tournament by one win. It really helped regalvanize our culture.”

RPI started this season with a narrow win over York. The Engineers blew out a couple teams early, got by Middlebury on the road and doubled up Williams at home before a big overtime win over then-No. 2 RIT. High scoring, low scoring, on the road, comebacks, blowouts — the Engineers have won in all manners.

Even the loss last week seems of value. It cost RPI a perfect season, but it might benefit the Engineers in the postseason in the same way missing out on the NCAAs last year did.

“Having lost that game made us a lot hungrier in practice,” Murphy said. “It brought up the intensity.”

St. Lawrence, which lost to RIT last week, could put a twist on the Liberty League standings in the regular season finale. With a win over RPI, the Saints could spoil the Engineers’ perfect Liberty League campaign and create a three-way tie for first place between RPI, RIT and St. Lawrence if RIT also beats Union on Saturday. That would force the fifth tiebreaker rule which looks at each team’s record against opponents .500 or above, and RIT would get the top seed. RPI could still host first-round and semifinal games as the No. 2 seed. The highest remaining seed will host the championship game.

“Win games and it's never a problem,” Hackett-Dalgliesh said. “That's the goal — to beat St. Lawrence on our Senior Day last regular-season game, win it outright and go 7-0 in the league, host the semifinal game and go from there.”