BOX SCORE

TROY, NY – Rensselaer suffered it's first loss of the season, falling  to Oneonta St., 3-2, as Rachael Decker (Sherrill, NY/V-V-S) led the Red Dragons with two goals in the game.

Decker put Oneonta ahead in the first half, grabbing a cross from teammate Musu Jackson-Buckner (Buffalo, NY/Buffalo Seminary) to put it past Rensselaer goalie Amanda Lund (Chester, CT/Valley Regional).  The Red Hawks came back minutes later to tie the game as Sarah Merlin (Sharon, MA/Sharon) cut down the middle of the field to collect a pass from teammate Melissa Holstein (Ann Arbor, MI/Huron) at the top of the circle, and blasted it past Oneonta goalie Lindsey Hendricks (Warrensburg, NY/Warrensburg).  Decker gave Oneonta the one goal lead with 57 seconds remaining in the half.

Sarah Salinger (Brewster, NY/Brewster) knotted the game at 2-2 in the second half.  Merlin took the ball up the field on a breakaway, quickly passing it to Salinger, who slipped it past the right side of Hendricks at 68:10.

Oneonta got the game-winning goal at 51:51 when Kate Yarmowich (Warrensburg, NY/Warrensburg) deflected a shot past Rensselaer goalie Jen O'Neil (Derry, NH/Pinkerton Academy) off a rebound shot by Buckner.

"It was certainly the best competition we played so far," said RPI head coach Bridget LaNoir after the game. "We raised our level of play and we illustrated some things we need to work on."

Lund and O'Neil combined for nine saves in goal while Hendricks recorded two saves for the Red Dragons.

Rensselaer is back in action on September 23 when it travels to William Smith for a 4pm Liberty League contest.  Oneonta St. plays September 17 at SUNY Geneseo at 1pm.