TROY, N.Y. – After holding an 8-7 lead late into the third quarter, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's lacrosse team was outscored 6-1 over the final 17 minutes of play as they suffered their first loss of the season to the No. 11 Ithaca Bombers by a final score of 13-9 at ECAV Stadium Saturday afternoon in their Liberty League opener.
 
RPI moves to 3-1 on the season with an 0-1 record in league play, while Ithaca improves to 5-2 with a 1-0 mark in the league.
 
Both sides traded goals in the opening minutes until RPI broke through with their second in a row with 1:47 left to play in the first quarter courtesy of Megan Shay on a free position.
 
Ella Graff extended the lead to three goals with a goal to open the second quarter, making it a 5-2 Engineers lead. The Bombers fought back with a pair of goals at the 9:25 and 8:10 marks of the second quarter, as Chloe Nordyke and Maizy Veitch. The goals brought Ithaca back within a goal, 5-4.
 
RPI responded at the 4:31 mark as Rylie Maready collected her first goal of the game to make it 6-4 Engineers. However, the Bombers snuck back within a goal before the half to make it 6-5 RPI.
 
After each side scored a goal in the first 10 minutes of the third quarter, Ithaca pulled even at the 4:28 mark as Sydney Phillips scored to tie things at seven goals apiece. Both sides scored once more, including Shay's fifth of the game for the Engineers as the score stood 8-8 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Bombers and Engineers traded goals to open the fourth quarter before Ithaca found the lead with 12:45 to go in the fourth quarter. Nordyke scored for the fifth time on the afternoon, pulling the Bombers ahead 10-9 before Haley Armstrong gave Ithaca their first multi-goal lead with 11:39 to play.
 
Ithaca added another pair of goals to make it 13-9 with 3:50 to play in the game, which stood through the final whistle.
 
Nordyke finished with six goals and one assist for seven points for the Bombers, while Veitch added four goals to her resume. Armstrong and Phillips each finished with three points as well. Lexi Held made 14 saves in net for Ithaca in the win.
 
Shay's five goals led the team, while Ella Graff (1G, 2 A) and Lisa Boehmer (2G, 1A) each added three points apiece. Rylie Maready added a goal and an assist on the afternoon, while goaltender Jenny Canfield made five saves in her first loss of the season.
 
The Engineers return to action on Monday, March 20 at 5 p.m. when they hit the road to take on Westfield State.