MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's lacrosse team fell on the road, 16-7, to Middlebury this afternoon at Alumni Stadium.

Tyler Ruffini led the Engineers with a team-high five points, scoring three goals and adding two assists. Cooper Manzi added two goals, while Sean Smith and Jackson Massaroni each found the back of the net once as RPI generated offense from multiple spots.

RPI struck first in the opening quarter when Manzi finished a Ruffini feed to make it 1-0 less than three minutes in, but Middlebury, who received votes in the most recent USILA coaches poll, responded with three straight goals in a four-minute span to take a 3-1 lead after the first frame.

The Panthers used a strong second quarter to create separation. After Middlebury extended the margin to 4-1 early in the period, Ruffini got one back off a Michael Kline assist at 12:43. Middlebury answered again, but Ruffini buried his second of the day midway through the stanza (from Easton Morse) to keep the Engineers within reach. A late Middlebury goal sent the teams to halftime with the hosts up 7-3.

Middlebury continued to build on its lead in the third, pushing the advantage to 11-4 despite an RPI response from Smith, who finished an Andrew Childs assist. Manzi closed the quarter with an unassisted tally in the final minute, but the Panthers carried an 11-5 edge into the fourth.

RPI opened the final quarter down seven and generated late scoring from the man-up unit. Massaroni converted an extra-man goal off a Ruffini helper at 2:03, and Ruffini followed with his third goal of the afternoon at 1:34 (assisted by Ian Weihe), but Middlebury's offense remained steady throughout the period to secure the 16-7 final.

RPI next returns to ECAV Stadium to host MIT at 1:00 pm on Saturday.