Box Score
Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Nine different players scored, led by four from sophomore attack Stephanie Caouette (Wynantskill, NY/Columbia) to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's lacrosse team to a 14-10 win over Clarkson University in Liberty League action on Friday. The Red Hawks improve to 5-5 overall and are now 2-3 in conference. The Golden Knights drop to 3-7 overall and 0-4 in Liberty League play.

It was a back-and-forth battle through the first 30 minutes of action as RPI and Clarkson combined for 15 goals. Clarkson got things going early as junior midfielder Kimberly Loucks (Waterloo, NY/Waterloo) scored the first of her game-high six goals at 28:25.

Caouette tied things up at the 26:36 mark and despite a go-ahead goal by senior attack Emily Bojarski (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) with just over 23 minutes to play, the homestanding Red Hawks found the momentum, scoring three straight goals for a 4-2 lead at 19:47.

Loucks helped pull her team back into the game with back-to-back free position goals in the middle of the frame, but sophomore Afton Marshall (Windham, NH/Salem), whose three first-half goals were all go-ahead goals, pushed RPI back into the lead (6-5). Clarkson was once again aided by Loucks, who made it a 6-all game with 11:17 remaining, but Rensselaer continued to pressure the Golden Knights net, firing in three shots for a 9-6 lead at the intermission.

The second half saw the Red Hawks continue to dominate in the offensive zone, rallying off four straight goals through the first nine minutes for a 13-6 lead. The Golden Knights refused to back down in the middle of the frame as Bojarski and freshman Laura Barlow (Latham, NY/Shaker) scored to pull the visitors to within five (13-8) with 10:13 remaining.

Loucks and Bojarski each added another tally in the final three minutes, but it wasn't enough as Rensselaer held on for its second straight Liberty League victory.

In addition to Caouette, Rensselaer saw Marshall score three goals. Junior Sam Fennessey (Gansevoort, NY/Saratoga Springs) and senior Kerri Clark (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) each added a goal and an assist while junior netminder Ariana Hood (Severn, MD/Old Mill) stopped four shots to improve to 5-5 overall.

For Clarkson, Loucks added an assist in addition to her six goals. Bojarski finished with three goals and an assist while senior Alyssa Breed (Macedon, NY/Palmyra-Macedon) had three assists. In goal for the Golden Knights, freshman Hannah Walters (Amherst, NH/Derryfield) made nine saves.

RPI, which is now 17-0 all-time against Clarkson, returns to action tomorrow afternoon when it hosts St. Lawrence at 2pm at Renwyck Field. The Golden Knights head to Poughkeepsie to take on Vassar, also at 2pm.