Box Score
Game Program

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 20, 2012) – The upset-minded Vassar College women's lacrosse team built leads of 3-0, 6-4 and 8-6 over Rensselaer, but the Liberty League's top team stormed back to score the game's final three goals in the final 5:58 to earn a hard-fought 9-8 victory over the Brewers in Liberty League action on Friday afternoon at Weinberg Field.

The Brewers, who jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the game's first five minutes, had two unfortunate yellow card penalties in a 1:38 span late in the second half, and the Engineers capitalized on both, scoring with 5:58 and 4:28 to play respectively – from freshman attack Lauren Miller and freshman midfielder Jamie Wakefield – to tie the contest at 8-8. Wakefield then notched the game-winning goal with 1:15 to play for the RPI victory.

The loss drops Vassar to 5-7, 2-4, while RPI improves to 12-1, 6-1. The Brewers will host Skidmore on Saturday in the home finale at 2:00 pm, and will honor its graduating class prior to the game. RPI travels to Bard, a 16-3 loser to Skidmore today, for a 2:00 pm game.
Vassar senior attack Maura McCarthy helped break a 6-6 deadline by taking a nifty feed from freshman midfielder Sophia Rosetti – who had sprint the length of the field off an RPI turnover – to put the Brewers ahead 7-6 with 12:59 to play. Two minutes later, junior attack Marissa Reilly scored in-close off RPI junior goalie Allie Arnal's left side for a 8-6 Vassar lead.

The Engineers stormed back, as they had done when being down by two goals on two other occasions and capitalized on Vassar penalties to knot the game. Wakefield's game winning tally was orchestrated after the Engineers had taken possession of the ball with under two minutes to play and methodically worked the ball into the crease, where Wakefield beat Vassar freshman goalie Katherine Pula over her left shoulder.

Both teams took turns making scoring runs. With goals by Reilly, sophomore defender Phoebee Tzannes and sophomore midfielder Zoe Ripecky, the Brewers took an early 3-0 lead. RPI answered with four straight tallies -- Wakefield's first goal of the game, two from sophomore midfielder Meg Colitz and one from Laura Connor for a 4-3 lead. Vassar went into halftime with a 6-4 lead with three straight goals of its own, from freshman midfielder Katherine Stegmann, Tzannes and junior midfielder Michela Garrison.

RPI drew even at 6-6 on two unassisted goals by sophomore defender Rachel Scofield and senior midfielder Madeline Sisson before McCarthy's goal broke the game's third tie.

Reilly and Tzannes had two goals each for Vassar. Wakefield had three tallies for RPI.

For the Brewers, Pula made 11 saves. Arnal had 10 for RPI, five coming in the second half.

Vassar led in ground balls 17-11. The RPI offense was augmented by a perfect 15-of-15 on clears.