RPI Engineers Win Over Owls, 11-10

WESTFIELD, Mass. –    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Riley Maready (Colorado Springs, Colo.) scored four goals and added an assist as the Engineers ran out to a big lead before holding off Westfield State late, 11-10 in a non-conference women's lacrosse game at Alumni Field on Monday evening.

Westfield dips to 3-2 overall this season while RPI is now 4-1.

The Engineer's Lisa Boehmer (Vernon Hills, Ill.) scored back to back goals to give the Engineers a 5-0 lead midway through the first quarter, and RPI led 6-1 after the first.

Westfield subbed in junior goalkeeper Kara Banagan (Niskayuna, N.Y.)  at the first intermission, and the Owls slowly began to swing momentum back in their favor, trailing 6-3 at the half and 10-6 after three quarters. 

Westfield tallied the first two goals of the fourth quarter, both coming on drives to cage from Nicole Rinkus (Pembroke, Mass.) to trim the lead to two goals at 10-8.

RPI was awarded a free position shot as players battled for a loose ball in front of the Westfield State goal with 11:57 left in the game.   The Engineers' Lauren Deleo (Wyckoff, N.J.) was gifted the free position shot and Owls goalkeeper Banagan was sent behind, and Deleo slotted the ball in the open net for a 11-8 lead.

Westfield got a goal from Lindsay Bohenko (Lowell, Mass.) off a nice spin move at the tip of the fan, and then Cassidy Connolly (Woburn, Mass.)  added her third goal of the day on a free position shot with 4:31 left that trimmed the lead to 11-10, and forced a goalkeeper change for RPI, as Olivia Kimball (North Hampton, N.H.) subbed in for Jenny Canfield (Great Falls, Va.) .

Westfield mustered one more grade-A chance, as Emma Cretella (Cheshire, Conn.) was awarded a free postion with about a minute and a half left in regulation, but her free position try sailed wide of the net.

The Engineers regained possession with just a four second differential between the game and shot clock, and ran it all the way down before the shot clock violation gave the Owls possession in front of their own bench with four ticks left on the clock.

The Owls' Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.)  fired a long shot-pass that traveled three-quarters of the field and bounced through a crowd in the crease, with Kimball making the save for RPI as time expired to secure the win.

Boehmer and Megan Shay (Rochester, Mass.) each added two goals for the Engineers, Canfield finished with seven saves and Kimball one.

For Westfield, the Owls were led by three goals apiece from Cretella and Connolly, and Rinkus added a pair of markers.  Victoria Paras (Medford, Mass.) handed out two assists.  Starter Sydney Smith (Dalton, Mass.) made two saves in the first quarter, and Banagan added six more stops.

The Owls game vs. RPI was originally scheduled to be Westfield's season opener on February 28, but was delayed due to a snowstorm that week.

Westfield State will be back in action on Wednesday with another non-conference game, hosting Connecticut College.

Rensselaer will next host Utica University on Saturday.