Box Score Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Junior Afton Marshall (Windham, NH/Salem) tallied a game-best four goals, including the eventual game-winner with 1:49 remaining, to give the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's lacrosse team a 12-11 victory over #20 Nazareth College on Sunday. With the win, the Engineers improve to 2-2 overall, while the Golden Flyers fall to 3-2 on the season.

The two teams battled through a close and low scoring first half as Rensselaer held a 5-3 advantage through the first 30 minutes behind goals from five different players. Despite the two goal lead, Nazareth quickly rebounded in the second half of play, scoring a pair of goals within the first five minutes to even things at 5-all with 25:52 remaining.

Junior Stephanie Caouette (Wynantskill, NY/Columbia) pulled the homestanding Engineers back into the lead (6-5) at the 22:31 mark, but goals from Kristine Olijnyk (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) and Jennifer Young (Marcellus, NY/Marcellus) within 10 seconds of one another made it a 7-6 advantage for the Golden Flyers with 21:00 left in the contest.

Rensselaer's offense quickly found the equalizer as freshman Shannon Maguire (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) tallied just 13 seconds after Young's goal to make it 7-7 and Marshall added her second of the game to pull the Engineers ahead by a goal (8-7) with just over 19 minutes remaining.

It was a back and forth fight to the finish from that point on as the teams traded goals, keeping the score balanced until 13:30 when senior captain Sam Fennessey (Gansevoort, NY/Saratoga Springs) scored to make it a 10-9 advantage. Marshall pushed it to a two-goal advantage (11-9) with 8:35 remaining, but Nazareth once again battled back, cutting the deficit to 11-10 on Olijnyk's second of the game.

Marshall, who also had an assist for a game-best five points, scored with 1:49 remaining to give the Engineers the two-goal cushion once more. Despite a late tally by Nora Davis (Syracuse, NY/Biship Ludden) and control of the ball on the final possession, the Golden Flyers were unable to close the gap.

In addition to Marshall, Rensselaer saw Maguire finish with three goals. Rookie Alissa Peterson (Gaithersburg, MD/Quince Orchard) posted a game-best three assists, while Fennessey had two goals and Caouette added a goal and two assists. Senior goalie Ariana Hood (Severn, MD/Old Mill) picked up the victory, stopping eight shots.

Nazareth saw Davis and Olijnyk each tally two goals and an assist. Alyssa Johnston (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) and Chelsey Amidon (Marcellus, NY/Onondaga) each had two goals. In the net, senior Ann Sessler (Cazenovia, NY/Cazenovia) stopped 12 shots.

Both teams return to action next weekend as RPI hosts SUNY Potsdam on Saturday at Renwyck Field (1pm). Nazareth hosts Hamilton (4pm) and St. Lawrence (2pm) on Friday and Saturday, respectively.