NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's lacrosse team wrapped its weekend in Nashville with an 18-7 win over Rhodes this afternoon.

RPI's offense was paced by Cooper Manzi's four-goal day, while Sean Smith and Mickey Sullivan each finished with four points (three goals, one assist).

Tyler Ruffini keyed the ball movement with a team-high four assists, and the Engineers also received a pair of goals from Ian Weihe as 10 different players found the back of the net.

The Engineers set the tone early, scoring four of the first five goals to build a 4-1 advantage in the opening quarter. Smith opened the scoring with an unassisted finish, before Manzi (from Michael Kline) and Easton Morse (man-up) stretched the margin to 3-0. 

Bryce Allen made it 4-0 midway through the period, but Rhodes answered with two late goals to trim the lead to 4-2 after 15 minutes.

RPI regained control in the second quarter with a quick strike on the extra-man advantage. Teag Hilkewich and Jackson Massaroni scored 61 seconds apart, both on man-up feeds from Ruffini, to push the lead to 6-2. After Rhodes pulled within three, Smith closed the half with his second and third goals (both unassisted), giving the Engineers an 8-4 cushion at the break.

The turning point came in the third, when RPI erupted for seven goals to break the game open. Manzi scored twice in the quarter and added another later in the period to complete his four-goal performance, while Weihe posted two goals during the decisive stretch as the Engineers turned an 8-4 halftime lead into a 15-5 advantage heading to the fourth.

Sullivan took over late, scoring three of RPI's final four goals in the fourth quarter to put the game away and cap the 18-goal output.

Four Engineers combined for nine saves, led by Hunter Sullivan's five stops in the first half.

RPI returns north for its home opener on Wednesday at 7:00 pm versus Cortland in ECAV Stadium.