SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Despite a second half comeback, the RIT (5-8, 3-4 Liberty League) women's lacrosse team lost at Skidmore College (10-3, 5-1 Liberty League), 10-8 Friday afternoon. After trailing by five at the half, the Tigers rallied to get within a goal twice in the second half, outscoring the Thoroughbreds 5-2 in the half.
 
Shots were 24-20 in favor of Skidmore, while the Tigers grabbed 16 ground balls to 14 for the Thoroughbreds. RIT went 11-of-20 on clearing attempts, and six free position attempts.

Junior Sage Sarkis (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima) led RIT with three goals. Freshman Maegan Schmauder (Franklin, MA/Franklin) tallied two goals, and Sammy Ward (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker), Amanda Olsen (Glen Mills, PA/Archmere Academy) and Emily Livecchi (Rochester, NY/Our Lady of Mercy) each scored a goal. Senior Caitlin Conway (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) took the loss in net for RIT, making six saves.
  
Tyler Phillips led Skidmore with four goals. Spencer Morgan tallied three goals, while Brittany Dioneda scored two goals. Phillips finished with five points on the day, adding an assist. Megan Kolopsky got the win in net for Skidmore making five saves.
 
Schmauder gave RIT an early 1-0 lead on her first goal of the game and 13th of the season at 26:46 of the first half. After a Skidmore goal tied the score at 1-1, Olsen gave RIT a 2-1 lead on her fifth goal of the season at 22:54 of the opening half.

The Thoroughbreds ran off five straight goals, taking a 6-2 lead on Phillips third straight goal of the run. Morgan and Spencer Harris also had goal in that stretch for Skidmore.

Ward broke the Skidmore run with her goal off an assist from Mariah Hettel (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) with 2:22 to play in the first half, cutting the Thoroughbreds lead to 6-3. Dioneda and Phillips added late goals giving Skidmore an 8-3 halftime lead.
 
RIT opened the second half scoring when Livecchi scored off an assist from Corrina Mandell (Corning, NY/Corning East) at the 26:39 mark of the second half. Sarkis kept the momentum going for RIT, tallying two straight goals, pulling RIT to within 8-6 on her 36th goal of the season with 16:56 to play. Schmauder made it 8-7 on her second of the game and 14th of the season with 15:29 to play in regulatio.

Skidmore finally broke through when Morgan tallied her 29th of the season with 12:45 to play giving the Thoroughbreds a 9-7 lead. Sarkis converted a free position attempt with 4:24 to play, making it 9-8 Skidmore, but Dioneda added an insurance goal, and the Throughbreds defense held RIT off the scoreboard down the stretch.
 
RIT is 2-2 all time versus Skidmore. The Tigers return to action on Saturday, April 18 when the Tigers face Liberty League foe Rensselaer at 2 p.m. in Troy, N.Y.