ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Sophie Hager and Abbey Salvon scored three minutes apart late in the second half to help Rensselaer hold on for a 9-6 women's lacrosse victory over the University of Rochester at Edwin Fauver Stadium on Friday afternoon.
 
Those goals cut short a Rochester second half rally that saw the Yellowjackets pull within one goal three different times in the second half.
 
Hager led RPI (7-7, 3-5 Liberty League) with three goals. Mackenzie O'Neil and Maddy Aslansan scored two goals. Salvon had a goal and an assist. Carly Kirchner had one goal. Allie Claroni and Erin DeLucca each had one assist.
 
Jamie Wallisch led Rochester (4-11, 1-7 Liberty) with two goals and two assists. Madeline Levy scored two goals. Breanna Taylor and Katherine Woo scored one apiece. Brigid Regan had one assist.
 
In goal, Rebecca Wilen recorded eight saves for RPI. Maire Prosak had three saves for Rochester.
 
Rochester held a 19-13 shot advantage and a 15-13 edge on ground balls. Each team scored twice from the free position in four attempts. Levy and Taylor did it for Rochester; Hager and O'Neil for RPI.
 
It was 1-1 after 12 minutes as each team played at a methodical pace. Aslansan had the RPI goal, Wallisch scored for Rochester. The Engineers scored in an advantage situation, 46 seconds after Rochester's Elisabeth Watson was yellow-carded. Kirchner scored the advantage goal and that triggered a 3-0 run over 2:14 with Hager and O'Neil converting. RPI led, 4-1 with 8:31 left in the half. Levy and Hager swapped free position shots in the final 3:50 to leave RPI up, 5-2, at the break.
 
Rochester pulled close right away in the second half. Wallisch bounced a shot into the net in the opening minute of the second half and Taylor scored from the free position three minutes later. UR drew within 5-4. Each time Rochester got within a goal, RPI replied. Aslansan scored for a 6-4 visitor lead.
 
Levy scored from a Wallisch pass with 19:29 left (6-5 RPI) but seven minutes later, O'Neil's free position shot restored the two-goal lead with 12:55 left. It took just 21 seconds for Rochester to close the gap. Wallisch lobbed the ball to the center of the circle and Woo directed it past Wilen (7-6). It remained at one goal until Hager and Salvon scored down the stretch.
 
Among the individual stats leaders, Carly Kirchner won three draws for RPI and caused two turnovers. Claroni, Aslansan, and O'Neil each won two draws. Aslansan also caused two turnovers. The groundball leaders were Wilen with four and Erin Goodwin with three.
 
For Rochester, Levy, Wallisch and Charlotte Berg each caused two turnovers. Six individuals won draws. Wallisch collected five ground balls. Levy and Berg had two apiece.

The Engineers conclude their season on Saturday against RIT (2pm).