MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Sophomore Lauren DeLeo scored five times as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's lacrosse team remained perfect to start 2023 with an 18-10 victory over host Rhodes College on Wednesday evening. RPI improves to 3-0 on the season, while Rhodes moves to 3-3 on the season.
 
Through the first quarter and into the second, the Engineers started slow as Sophie Goddard and DeLeo were the only ones to score as Rhodes took a 4-2 lead less than a minute into the second quarter. From that point RPI turned up the offense and scored five straight goals as DeLeo capped a first half hat trick to five the Engineers a 7-4 lead into halftime.
 
Goddard continued the scoring less than two minutes into the second half, scoring RPI's sixth straight goal and her hat trick clinching goal two minutes later as RPI pushed their lead to 9-5. Those began a run of 13 goals scored in the quarter between the two teams, with the Engineers collecting nine goals to jump to a 16-8 lead after three quarters.
 
The Engineers wrapped things up in the fourth, as Quinn Wollard scored her third goal of the game on a dish from Rylie Maready before Lisa Boehmer book ended the scoring on the day to give RPI an 18-8 lead with 7:35 to play.
 
Rhodes scored twice before the final horn, both goals coming courtesy of Carina Wesker as RPI held on for the 18-10 win.
 
Maready finished the day with four points, as did Boehmer. Goddard and Megan Shay finished with three goals, as Shay was the fifth Engineer to score a hat trick on the game. In the cage, Jenny Canfield made eight saves in her third win of the season.
 
Avery Burke and Wesker each finished with three goals apiece for Rhodes, while four others scored at least one goal. Burke finished with five points by adding two assists, as Emily Bruner dished three assists with a goal for four points.
 
The Engineers return to action on Saturday, March 18 at 12 p.m. when they play host to Ithaca College at ECAV Stadium in their opening Liberty League matchup.