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TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) field hockey team converted a pair of penalty corners late in the first half for a 2-0 lead and the Engineers displayed strong defense throughout the second half in defeating Hamilton College, 3-1, in a non-league game at Harkness Field. Junior Megan Jones had a pair of assists for Rensselaer, which improves to 2-1. The Continentals fall to 0-1.

With the game scoreless entering the latter stages of the first half, it was Hamilton that had the best opportunity to that point when Mary Kate McNeil (Medfield, MA / Medfield) had a shot stopped by RPI goalkeeper Rachel Kaufman (Morristown, NJ / Morristown) and her second attempt saved by defender Casey Collette (Lunenburg, MA / Lunenburg). The score remained deadlocked for the next five-and-a-half minutes when the Engineers earned their first penalty corner of the contest. Jones (Stevensville, MD / Kent Island) injected the ball to Colleen Morris (Pound Ridge, NJ / King Low Heywood Thomas) at the top of the circle and the senior captain drove the ball through traffic and into the back of the cage. The goal, which came at 28:57, was the first of the season for Morris.

Following an unsuccessful penalty corner, RPI tallied its second goal on its third try, this time at 32:08. Jones sent the ball to Claire Cecilio (San Jose, CA / Archbishop Mitty) at the top of the circle, where the senior captain set it up for sophomore Taylor Clink (Binghamton, NY / Whitney Point), who slapped it past everyone for her second goal of the campaign.

Hamilton pulled to within one at 41:13 when sophomore Tatiana Bradley (West Newbury, MA / Berwick Academy) picked up a loose ball off a rebound on a penalty corner and slipped it over the line. From that point, the Continentals managed just one shot on goal, which Kaufman stopped. 

Freshman Nessa Costa (San Diego, CA / Del Notre) gave the Engineers a two-goal lead with 4:55 remaining with her second goal in as many games. Stationed alone in front of the cage, she swept the ball into the far corner for her second of the season.

Kaufman earned the win by stopping six shots, including five in the first half. Julia Booth (Greenwich, CT / Greenwich Academy) had four saves for Hamilton, which was outshot by one, 16-15. The Engineers held a decisive 9-3 edge in penalty corners.

RPI returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Kean University for a 1pm contest. The Continentals travel to Bates College for its first league game of the year on Saturday at noon.