ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT (4-4, 2-0 Liberty League) women's lacrosse team tallied two goals late in the second half to beat St. Lawrence University (2-6, 0-2 Liberty League) 9-8 in Liberty League on Sunday afternoon at RIT's Turf Field. It is the first time RIT has beaten the Saints in five tries.

With RIT up 9-8 in the final five minutes, St. Lawrence had their chances down the stretch, but the Tigers defense held strong, keeping the Saints off the scoreboard. Kiera Taussig appeared to score the game-winning goal with two seconds to play in regulation. But, the goal was disallowed when the referees called her for an illegal stick. That gave the ball back to the Tigers who ran the clock out.

Shots were 24-22 in favor of RIT, winning the ground ball battle, 28-24. The Tigers went 16-of-20 on clearing attempts, and were 2-for-8 on free position attempts.

Freshman Emily Livecchi (Rochester, NY/Our Lady of Mercy) led RIT with four goals. Maegen Schmauder tallied two goals, while Sage Sarkis (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima) and Corrina Mandell (Corning, NY/Corning East) each had a goal and an assist. Sammy Ward (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker) tallied the other RIT goal, and Nicole Bingo (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) and Mariah Hettel (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) each had an assist. Caitlin Conway (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) got the win in net for RIT, making nine saves.
  
Abigail Owens led the Saints with three goals, while Ashley Norris had a goal and an assist. Kara Hurley, Michaela Maybee, Chloe Knapp and Julia Mitiguy each scored a goal. Adden Cunningham took the loss in net for the Saints, making 12 saves.
 
Livecchi gave RIT an early lead on her unassisted goal at the 26:01 mark of the first half. The Saints answered with two straight goals, taking a 2-1 lead on a free position goal from Maybee at the 23:40 mark of the half. Schmauder took a fabulous pass from Bingo and broke into the St. Lawrence offensive zone, beating Cunningham clean for her first of the game tying the score at 2-2. Owens answered right back for the Saints with her goal at 16:20.

Consecutive goals from Livecchi, Sarkis and Mandell gave RIT a 5-3 lead with 12:03 to play in the first half. Mandell's goal off a feed from Sarkis gave the Tigers their largest lead of the game to that point.

Knapp took a pass from Norris and scored with 8:20 to play, cutting the RIT lead to 5-4. After another Livecchi free position goals made it 6-4, RIT, Owens scored with one second to play in the half, cutting the RIT to 6-5 at halftime.

Hurley opened the second half scoring with her free position goal less than two minutes into the half, tying the score at 6-6. Schmauder gave the Tigers a 7-6 lead with her free position goal 2:25 into the second half.

Mitiguy and Norris tallied consecutive goals for St. Lawrence, taking an 8-7 lead on Norris' second goal of the game with 12:25 to play in regulation.
 
RIT kept battling, finally tying the score at 8-8 on a goal from Ward off an assist from Hettel with 8:18 to play in regulation. Livecchi tallied the game winner with 5:18 to play, her fourth of the game.

RIT returns to action on Friday, April 3 when the Tigers face Liberty League foe William Smith College at 4 p.m. in Geneva, N.Y.