ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT (3-4, 1-0 Liberty League) women's lacrosse team opened Liberty League play in fine fashion with a 6-4 win over Clarkson University (5-2, 0-1 Liberty League) on a cold and snowy day at RIT's Turf Field. With the win, RIT improves to 6-2 all time versus Clarkson.

Shots were 26-12 in favor of Clarkson. RIT won the ground ball battle, 16-13, while the Tigers went 17-of-23 on clearing attempts. RIT was 0-for-1 on free position attempts, while Clarkson was 1-of-7.

Junior Sage Sarkis (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima) led RIT with two goals. She moves into sixth place all time at the university with 120 career goals. Nicole Bingo (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) and Emily Livecchi (Rochester, NY/Our Lady of Mercy) each tallied a goal and an assist, and Sammy Ward (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker) and Corrina Mandell (Corning, NY/Corning East) each scored a goal. Caitlin Conway (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) picked up the win in net for RIT, making 12 saves.
  
Taylor Collins and Paige Fayette led Clarkson with a goal and assist apiece. Emma Jeffery and Stephanie Lynch each had a goal for the Golden Knights. Danielle Tani took the loss in net for Clarkson, making four saves.

Fayette gave Clarkson a 1-0 lead on her goal just 53 seconds into the contest. Ward tied the score for RIT on her goal at 28:12 of the first half.
 
Collins converted a free position attempt with 20:04 to play in the half, giving the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead. Sarkis scored off a feed from Bingo with 18:47 to play in the first half, tying the score at 2-2. Livecchi scored off an assist from Mariah Hettel (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) with 17:47 to play, giving RIT its first lead of the game at 3-2. Neither team could break through until the 2:31 mark of the half when Jeffery scored off a feed from Collins, tying the score at 3-3.

RIT's team defense was excellent on Friday, causing five turnovers and holding the Golden Knights to four goals, including just one in the second half.

Sarkis opened the second-half scoring, tallying her second of the game, giving the Tigers a 4-3 lead less than four minutes into the half. Bingo gave RIT a two-goal lead with 21:10 to play in regulation off an assist from Kristina Glitch (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta).

Mandell scored on a nice drove off a feed from Livecchi with 16:27 to play, giving the Tigers a 6-3 lead.

Lynch pulled Clarkson to within two goals on her goal with 13:06 to play off an assist from Fayette. The Tigers defense would tighten up even more down the stretch, holding the Golden Knights scoreless over the final 13:06.   

 The Tigers return to action on Saturday, when RIT hosts Liberty League foe St. Lawrence University at 2 p.m. on RIT's Turf Field.