Box Score

TROY, N.Y. - In a game in which they were playing on Harkness Field for the final time, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) senior student-athletes Tori Elliott, Alissa Peterson and Katie Shea all played critical roles in the Engineers' field hockey team defeating Castleton College, 2-1 in a non-league game. Elliott and Peterson both had goals and Shea stopped four shots in the cage as RPI improved to 9-6. The visiting Spartans fell to 14-4.

Elliott (Hampstead, NH / Pinkerton Academy) gave the Engineers a 1-0 lead at 10:41 of the first half when she drove in a rebound. The goal was her second of the season. Peterson (Gaithersburg, MD / Quince Orchard), who is a co-captain with Elliott, doubled the lead 15 minutes later when she collected a penalty corner pass from Holly Dupuis (Brookfield, MA / Worcester Academy) - another senior - and scored on a long, hard shot. The goal was Peterson's tenth of the season, which leads the team.

Rensselaer held a 2-0 lead at halftime and a 9-1 edge in shots. There was also a 6-2 advantage in penalty corners for the home team at that point.

Castleton fought back to within a goal at 56:14 when junior Rachel Preusser (Craryville, NY / Taconic Hills) finished a give-and-go break with senior Kealy Chipman (Bellows Falls, VT / Bellows Falls). Preusser rushed the ball up the field, passed it to Chipman and then scored on the return pass for her 19th goal of the season.

That is the only goal Shea (Chevy Chase, MD / Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart) would allow on five shots in the contest. She is now 4-1 on the season. Sophomore Jessica Galatioto (Queensbury, NY / Queensbury) made five saves for the Spartans.

RPI, which closes out the regular season with a game at SUNY Oneonta on Saturday (3pm), had a 15-6 advantage in shots in the game. Both teams had six penalty corners.

Castleton hosts Thomas in the NAC Quarterfinals at noon on Saturday.