TROY, N.Y. - Skidmore College scored four times in a 5-minute span to turn a deficit into the lead and the Thoroughbreds held off Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) 5-3 in a Liberty League contest at Harkness Field. Freshman Morgan Sickels had two goals, both coming in the third, with an assist to lead Skidmore, which won for the fifth straight time to improve to 11-6 overall and 6-0 in the conference. RPI falls to 0-15 and 0-6.

Trailing 2-1 entering the latter stages of the third quarter, Sickles took a short pass from Mariah Redler and swept the ball into the goal to knot the score 11:45 into the frame. Just under three minutes later (44:31), the forward scored from nearly the same spot - the left side of the slot - when a rebound squirted to her and she put it in for her sixth of the season and a 3-2 lead. 

Skidmore needed just 27 seconds to make it 4-2, this time with sophomore Gabrielle Vaccaro re-directing a Sofia Marshall well-placed feed into the air and in the cage with only two seconds left in the third quarter. The Thoroughbreds made it 5-2 only 1:02 into the fourth when freshman Carrie Hughes pulled the ball back to get open and fired a shot that deflected off a defender's stick and into the cage.

RPI, which held a 2-1 lead at halftime, continued to battle and got to within two goals on a well-designed penalty corner. Sophomore Kaitlyn Stulen inserted the ball on the left side and got a return pass from Charisse Stakutis. Stulen found freshman Brianna Duba in the slot and the midfielder hit the back of the cage for her third of the season.

Skidmore opened an early lead when senior Jordan Mjaatvedt scored her sixth of the season just 3:28 into the contest. Sickels sent the ball into the circle, where it was deflected by a Rensselaer defender and Mjaatvedt swept the loose ball under Jen Richardson, RPI's goalkeeper who came out to challenge the shot.
 
RPI tied the game later in the quarter when sophomore Lauren Roy deflected a pass from Stakutis into the far corner of the cage. The Engineers controlled the ball in the offensive circle with Stakutis eventually passing it from the left side end line to the center of the goal, where Roy fought off a defender and scored for the second time this season.
 
Roy scored again, this time on Rensselaer's third attempt in a heavy offensive sequence after a penalty corner. Stakutis had a shot saved with the rebound going to Olivia Jackson, whose attempt was knocked away at the goal line by Skidmore defender Hanako Memon. Roy then chipped the ball in with 1:38 left in the second quarter.

RIchardson finished with eight saves for the Engineers, who got defensive saves from Duba and Emma Lewis. Maddy Carre stopped five shots for Skidmore. 
 
RPI is back in action on Sunday when it travels to St. Lawrence University for a Liberty League contest (12pm). Skidmore, the regular season champions of the conference, hosts league foe Vassar College on Sunday at 1pm.