Box Score Box Score

CANTON, N.Y. - St. Lawrence University junior Kim Morse and sophomore Nora Langan each scored two goals and junior goalie Anna Marchand turned in a 12-save performance, leading the Scarlet and Brown to a narrow 8-7 victory against Rensselaer on Friday at North Country Field.

The win boosts St. Lawrence's playoff chances, as they improve to 9-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference. Meanwhile, Rensselaer falls to 5-5 and 2-3 in Liberty League action.

"I was very pleased with the way our team held up to their pressure in the second half when things got a little tighter," said St. Lawrence head coach Jodi Canfield. "RPI is a good team, but defensively we really held up to some of their strong players."

The two conference foes played a very evenly-matched contest, as they each managed 25 shots and the home team held a 26-22 edge in ground balls. The Engineers had a 9-8 lead in draw controls, but Marchand's 12 saves topped Rensselaer's Ariana Hood's eight-save showing.

St. Lawrence controlled much of the action throughout the first half, building a 6-3 halftime lead. Morse scored the first two goals of the game less than three minutes in to set the tone. Though Whitney Kukol got the visitors on the scoreboard at 9:10, Langan and sophomore Alanna Piroli responded with tallies for St. Lawrence, stretching the lead to 4-1.

RPI's Alissa Peterson cut her team's deficit to two with a goal at 15:09, but Langan again followed with a free position goal for a 5-2 advantage. Rensselaer's Afton Marshall and St. Lawrence sophomore Leah Houston traded goals in the final five minutes to cap the first half scoring at 6-3.

Both teams began the second half playing solid defensively, as the first goal of the stanza came just over seven minutes in when Sam Fennessey got in on the scoring for the Engineers, making it a 6-4 contest. After junior captain Kelsey Redpath and Fennessey exchanged goals only 40 seconds apart midway through the half, senior captain Mary Jane Sweetland scored what proved to be the game-winning goal with 6:45 on the clock for an 8-5 St. Lawrence cushion.

Though Rensselaer would crawl back to within a goal at 8-7 thanks to tallies by Stephanie Caouette and Marshall, the Saints won the final draw control of the game and managed to maintain possession for the final 2:12 of regulation and secure the one-goal victory.

St. Lawrence sophomore defenseman Emma Hueber had a game-high three caused turnovers, while classmate Kendall Harty matched RPI's Madeline Sisson and Caouette with a game-high five ground balls. Sisson also had the game-high in draw controls with three.