The RPI women’s lacrosse team had back to back games on the road this weekend, and were looking to improve upon a impressive win last Sunday versus Vassar. The first contest was versus St. Lawrence on Saturday, and then the women were back in action the very next day against Clarkson. With the season winding down, every win is important, and Rensselaer would certainly love to put it all together here at the end of the season.
The first half’s action was a little mild in terms of goals scored, but the effort was undoubtedly there. St. Lawrence scored first, and after building a 2-0 lead looked to keep the Red Hawks shut out for the entirety of the first half.
RPI goalie freshman Gianna Casale worked hard at minimizing the damage, however, which kept Rensselaer within striking distance. With 1:58 left before the break, senior Rebecca Primm tied the game at two and sent her team into the locker room with the momentum.
When play resumed, it was St. Lawrence who again struck first and jumped out to another two-goal advantage over RPI. In similar style, though, the Red Hawks fought their way back into the game. Late in the contest it looked as if this one might go down to the wire when Meghan Clement of the Saints and sophomore Carly Strife of the Red Hawks traded goals in a span of just 37 seconds, keeping the score tied at five. But St. Lawrence would state its intentions with a three-goal run, taking the lead to 8-5 and putting RPI in a deeper hole.
When senior Kate Phillips scored at the 9:25 mark, Rensselaer found its team down only two, and a comeback was still possible. However, two scores came off draw-controlled fast breaks for the Saints, which ultimately sealed RPI’s fate with the score being 10-6. Two relatively meaningless goals were traded late, and the Red Hawks went on to lose by a final score of 11-7.
St. Lawrence was led by Sophie Malinowski, who tallied four goals. RPI, who was out-shot 38-26, was paced by Phillips and freshman Kerri Clark, each scoring two goals. Sophomores Carly Strife, Jen Wahl, and Primm each scored once.
Rensselaer’s next opponent was Clarkson, and the game took place Sunday afternoon. The Red Hawks fell behind early, and it looked as if the day would be another tough one. The Golden Knights opened up with a 7-3 lead in the first half and cruised into the break feeling somewhat confident due to their strong play.
However, the second half was a different story. Right off the bat, Phillips and sophomore Natalie White scored, setting the tone early. Clarkson would get a score from sophomore Alicia Chace, but that was the last time that the Golden Knights tasted success.
In crunch time, White scored again, in addition to goals from juniors Sabrina Alimi and Michelle Michalenko, which tied the game at eight. With roughly 16 minutes remaining on the game clock. Finally, Clark scored the game-winning goal­—an unassisted marker—in the game’s closing minutes and capped off a 6-1 run in the second half, which powered the Red Hawks to a 9-8 come-from-behind victory.
Clarkson was led by sophomore Lindsay Walker, who had two goals and one assist, in addition to a game-high six ground balls. The Red Hawk attack was steadied by Clark, who had two goals, which included the game winner, and one assist. White also scored twice to round out RPI’s balanced offense. Rensselaer ended up out-shooting Clarkson by ten, 37-27.
The Red Hawks have two games remaining on their schedule. Both are Liberty League match-ups held at home this week. RPI will square off against William Smith on Saturday, and then Rochester on Sunday.
