Box Score Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Junior midfielder Afton Marshall (Windham, NH/Salem) tallied three goals in each half for a game-best six goals as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's lacrosse team edged Vassar College, 11-10, in Liberty League action on Saturday. With the win, the Engineers improved to 7-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play, while the Brewers fell to 6-8 on the season and 1-6 in the Liberty League.

The win also moves RPI closer to a playoff berth for the upcoming conference playoffs. The Engineers control their own destiny, needing a victory over Rochester next Saturday, along with a Skidmore or William Smith loss in one of their last two games, to seal a playoff berth.  The Thoroughbreds and Herons will play one another on Saturday.

Vassar headed into the second half of action with a 6-5 lead and despite a goal from junior Allie Morgan (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) at the 28:53 mark, the Engineers quickly took control. RPI rattled on five straight goals over a 14-minute span to grab a 10-7 lead with 13:24 left in the contest.

Leading the way for the Engineers in that span was Marshall, who scored three goals, including a pair back-to-back to push the RPI lead to three (10-7). The Brewers were able to pull back to within 10-8 after junior Sarah Warner (Ipswich, MA/The Waring School) tallied, but senior Sam Fennessey (Gansevoort, NY/Saratoga Springs) pushed the Rensselaer lead back to three with 8:18 remaining.

Despite the lead, the Engineers found themselves in trouble in the final four minutes as the Brewers capitalized on several errors in the home team's end to pull the game to within one (11-10) with just 22 seconds left on the clock. Vassar won the final draw control but turned it over in the neutral zone, giving RPI the possession it needed to hang on for the win.

The Brewers opened the game's scoring, taking a 4-1 lead at the 15:46 mark behind a pair of goals from sophomore Elizabeth Feltch (Newtown, CT/Newtown). Rensselaer fought back, and behind three first half goals from Marshall and a tally by Fennessey, were able to tie it 4-all with 10:25 left in the first half. The team's traded goals, but it was Warner who gave Vassar a 6-5 advantage heading into the intermission.

In addition to Marshall's six tallies, Rensselaer saw Fennessey add two goals and two assists. Junior Jen Greenwood (Newtown, CT/Newtown) and rookie Alissa Peterson (Gaithersburg, MD/Quince Orchard) each added a goal and an assist. Between the pipes, senior Ariana Hood (Severn, MD/Old Mill) made seven saves to improve to 7-5 overall.

For Vassar, Warner had three goals and three assists for a game-best six points. Feltch added two goals and two assists, while Morgan had two goals. Junior Nicole Engelhardt (Longhorn, PA/The George School) shouldered the loss for the Brewers, stopping six shots, before giving way to sophomore Heather Kesselman (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge), who made two stops in 8:18 of relief.

Rensselaer returns to action next Saturday, hosting the University of Rochester at Renwyck Field. That game, which begins at 2pm, also marks the Engineers' Senior Day. Vassar is back on the field on next Friday, hosting Rochester (4pm).