Box Score Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's lacrosse team held off a fourth quarter rally by Muhlenberg College and went on to defeat the Mules, 12-7, on Senior Day at East Campus Stadium. The victory, which is the fourth straight for RPI, lifts the #15 Engineers record to 10-1 overall. The Mules fall to 5-7 in the loss.

The win also marks the best start for Rensselaer since the 1967 season, when the Engineers posted a 10-1 record in its first 11 contests. That team went on to finish 10-2 overall. The program's best-ever finish came in 1948 when Rensselaer went 11-0.

Rensselaer, which honored its five seniors in a pre-game ceremony, jumped out to an early lead in the opening quarter, scoring five goals, including four straight in the final 3:40 of the frame. Junior Nick Billy (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) led the way, tallying two goals and assisting on another during the stretch.

Muhlenberg battled back in the second stanza as sophomore Clint Watkins (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) slipped one past RPI netminder James Manchester (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) at 13:29 to cut the deficit to four (5-1). Senior Bryant Johnson (Minnetonka, MN/The Blake School) later tacked on another goal with nine seconds left to give Rensselaer the 6-1 lead at the half.

The third quarter saw the Engineers dominate action, holding a 4-2 advantage in scoring to build up a 10-3 lead. The Mules got one back to start the frame as freshman Jack Reilly (Boonton, Twp., NJ/Mountain Lakes) scored at 11:21. The two teams traded goals before RPI went on a 3-0 run for the seven goal differential (10-3) heading into the final quarter.

Led by goals from Johnson and senior Devin Arnold (Buffalo, NY/Canisus) to start the fourth stanza, Rensselaer saw the visiting Mules surge back into the game, tallying four straight in the final 5:40 to cut the deficit to five (12-7). Sophomore Alex Ardolino (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park) notched a pair during the stretch, including one on the man-up with 1:16 remaining, but it wasn't enough as RPI held on to possession off the final face-off.

Billy led the way for the Engineers, scoring a game-best three goals with an assist. Johnson had two goals and an assist, while Arnold also had a pair of goals. Senior Paul Cerone (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield) recorded his team-leading 16th and 17th assists for the season and five other players found the back of the net. Manchester made 10 saves in 57:42 of action for the Engineers to improve to 10-1. Junior Angelo Luppino (Mount Kisco, NY/Fox Lane) played the final 2:18 in relief.

For Muhlenberg, Ardolino and Reilly each tallied two goals with an assist, while Watkins, AJ Diaz (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset) and Chase Nadell (Merrick, NY/John F. Kennedy) each had a goal. In goal, junior Mike Horowitz (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) made 11 saves before giving way to classmate Oliver Baron (Weston, CT/Weston), who stopped four shots.

Rensselaer is back in action on Tuesday, when it hosts #15 Middlebury at East Campus Stadium (4:30pm). Muhlenberg wraps up its season on April 24 at Ursinus (12pm).