Sophomore Natalie White’s game-winning goal just 1:28 into the sudden-death period capped off a promising day for the visiting Red Hawks, who were able to erase a deficit and open up their season with a 16-15 victory over Oneonta State.
The Red Dragons got off to a strong start in the first half. Their aggressive attacking style gave them a vast number of attempts on goal. Oneonta out-shot Rensselaer 28-7 in the first half of play, and took a 9-5 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the action began to heat up as regulation play began to wind down. Oneonta found themselves holding on to a 13-7 lead, but with their backs against the wall, RPI began to mount a run that would ultimately lead to their comeback victory.
Five unassisted goals over the course of roughly five minutes brought the Red Hawks right back into the game, with the score now standing at 13-12. White scored three goals in the game, two during the comeback run, helping RPI cut away at the lead.
Oneonta answered back with an unassisted goal from Brianne Ruzek, which increased their advantage to two, but it would not be enough to slow RPI’s momentum. Senior Rebecca Primm scored a goal with 15 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Both teams scored goals in the extra period, which is how the game ended up in sudden-death, where White once again took care of business. Her game-winning goal sent the homestanding Red Dragons away with a loss, while Rensselaer took home a victory in the first game of their young season.
The women next headed south to wonderfully warm West Palm Beach, Fla., for a two game stretch over spring break, where the women were able to actually play outside, unlike their home territory of Troy, N.Y.
Their first match up was with FDU-Florham. RPI scored and led early. Natalie White fired a shot into the back of the net just 30 seconds into the game and Rensselaer drew first blood.
The Devils responded with four straight goals to steal the lead right back. The Red Hawks, however, with scores from freshman Kerri Clark and senior Kate Phillips were able to pull within just one goal of their opponent late in the first half. The score was 4-3 heading into intermission.
When play resumed, the Devils came out on a mission, and scored four quick goals to take a sizeable lead. Phillips scored four goals in the second half for RPI, giving her five on the day, but her efforts ultimately fell short as the Red Hawks were unable to fight all the way back on this day, losing by a score of 14-11.
A final game in Florida was played versus Roger Williams. Phillips ultimately was the high scorer for Rensselaer, tallying three of RPI’s first half goals to help the Red Hawks take a 5-2 lead into halftime.
White scored twice in the second half, and four other players had goals for the Red Hawks. This proved to be enough fire power on this day, as Rensselaer was able to fend off Roger Williams, and win the game 9-5.
The RPI lacrosse team has gotten off to a nice start this season. Their record currently stands at 2-1, with the women now back at school. The team will be on the road again this weekend, when they return to action with Friday and Saturday games versus Skidmore and Union, respectively.
