Box Score | RPI Athletics on YouTube

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Pat Finn scored with 59 seconds to tie the game and Casey Colligan notched the game-winning goal on a man-up with only 21 seconds left as the No. 18 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institue (RPI) men's lacrosse team defeated Vassar College, 9-8, in the Liberty League opener for both teams. The game saw five lead changes and seven goals scored in the fourth quarter.

Breanainn McNeally and Finn shared identical stat lines for the Engineers, scoring twice with one assist. RPI improves to 6-2 on the season and 1-0 in the Liberty League, while VC drops to 3-3 and 0-1 in conference play.Junior Noah Parson and sophomore Liam Moriarty led the way for the Brewers, recording two goals and an assist each.

McNeally set the tone early, scoring off a dish from Finn a little over a minute into the first quarter to put the Engineers ahead 1-0. The Brewers answered quickly, getting a goal from Moriarty 25 seconds later to even the score.

VC took its first lead at the 11:25 mark, as Parson found an open Chris Billups in front of the cage to convert an easy opportunity. The Brewers extended their lead to 3-1 with 6:57 left in the first, after a loose ball on a busted clear attempt found its way through to Parson. The attackman made the easy scoop, and buried his shot to put Vassar ahead by two.
RPI came charging back in the final three minutes, getting a pair of goals from Aaron Shavel and Chaz Bell to tie the game at three.      

Sophomore Brandon DeStasio quickly gave the Brewers the lead at the start of the second quarter, scooping up a groundball off the faceoff and taking it all the way to the net himself. RPI again found the equalizer at the 5:22 mark as McNeally scored the first of three man-up goals in the game for the Engineers to make it 4-4. Finn put RPI ahead with the final goal of the half, scoring off a feed from Shavel with 1:36 to play.

The third quarter proved to be a defensive struggle, as turnovers and lockdown coverage prevented few opportunities for either side. Parson finally broke through at the 5:08 mark, tying the game at five on a deep shot from the right side.

Vassar came out firing at the start of the fourth quarter, taking a two-goal lead in the first five minutes. After offsetting penalties made it five-on-five for 60 seconds, sophomore Sam Houston-Read regained the lead for Vassar at the 12:32 mark on an assist from Moriarty. Senior Sean Brazier extended the advantage to 7-5 with 10:51 left in regulation, scoring his first of the game on a rip from dead center.

RPI came right back, as Jake Weidner and Matt Hall posted their first goals on the afternoon to tie the game at seven with 5:52 remaining. The teams traded possessions on turnovers and missed shots, before Moriarty sliced through the defense on the right side to score an unassisted goal with 1:32 left on the clock.

A faceoff win put the ball right back in the sticks of the Engineers, and after a timeout RPI tied the game on a goal from Finn with 59 seconds left. A 30 second penalty on the Brewers proved critical on the ensuing faceoff, as RPI setup for the final possession with an extra man opportunity.

After a shot from Finn ricocheted off the post, Colligan shoveled the rebound off the deck and into the net to deliver the game-winner for the Engineers. Vassar won the final faceoff and had one last chance, but could not produce a shot as time expired and RPI clinched the win.

Freshman goalie Erik Mikelinich had a game-high nine saves, while David Gibbs finished with seven for the Engineers, who host Skidmore on Wednesday at 4pm.