GRADUATE MIDFIELDER MEG COLITZ PASSES two Red Dragon defenders in a game against Oneonta last Thursday. The Engineers scored nine consecutive goals en route to a 12-8 victory at Renwyck Field.After losing a close game last Tuesday at Williams College, women’s lacrosse returned home to host State University of New York Oneonta on Thursday afternoon. The game started out close, with the two teams matching goals in the first 15 minutes. Then, the Engineers changed gears on the Red Dragons, scoring nine unanswered goals to blow the game open. However, they lost the momentum midway through the second half, allowing Oneonta to score four consecutive goals of their own to bring the score to 11-7. It was too little, too late, though. After 60 minutes, Rensselaer had won, 12-8.
12 seconds into the game, RPI senior midfielder Erin Riley caught Red Dragon goalie Autumn Moore off guard, and scored to give the home team a 1-0 lead. Then, Oneonta attack Catherine Clark scored twice in the next six minutes to give the Red Dragons a 2-1 lead. Quickly, RPI graduate midfielder Meg Colitz responded with a goal of her own to tie the score.
Eight minutes later, after another Oneonta goal, Riley scored her second goal of the afternoon to once again tie the score. Then, the Engineers took their second lead of the game and expanded it during a nearly 17-minute span that extended into the second half. Of the eight additional goals scored, Colitz scored three of them, while three others, freshman attack Allison Claroni, freshman midfielder Morgan Doyle, and junior attack Erin DeLucca all scored their first goals of the season.
Then, during another 17-minute stretch, Oneonta slowed down the Engineer attack, and passed four shots by RPI senior goalie Erin Amarello to trim the Rensselaer lead to four with 4:47 remaining. Then, junior midfielder Mackenzie O’Neil stemmed the Oneonta tide, scoring unassisted with 4:04 left to play.
The Engineers recorded their first win of the season on Thursday, improving to a record of 1-1. Amarello outplayed her counterpart Moore, saving 12 of the 20 shots which came her way to earn the victory.
Next up for Rensselaer is a road trip to 1-1 Middlebury College today at 5 pm, followed by a home game versus Babson College on Saturday at noon.