ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT (8-10) women's lacrosse team will compete in the Liberty League Semifinal at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 5 versus Ithaca College on the campus of William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y. The Tigers entered the tournament as the sixth seed, while Ithaca is the second seed. The winner will face the victor between No. 1 William Smith and No. 4 Rensselaer in the Liberty League Championship at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 6.
The Tigers advanced to the semifinals after a thrilling 15-14 win at No. 3 Skidmore College Tuesday. Senior
Brooks Melnyk (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) tallied the game-winning goal with two minutes to play in regulation.
Emily Livecchi (Rochester, NY/Our Lady of Mercy) led RIT with seven points on three goals and four assists.
Alanna Fallone (Penfield, NY/Penfield) tallied four goals, while
Rebekah Snitkoff (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Warde) was excellent in net, making 16 saves. Head coach
Jeff McGuigan earned his 100th career victory at RIT.
RIT enters the semifinals second in the Liberty League in scoring, averaging 13.56 goals per game, including 13.50 goals per contest in conference play. The Tigers are tenth defensively, allowing 13.99 goals per contest. RIT is second, winning 13.56 draw controls per game and is fifth, causing 9.0 turnovers per game.
Livecchi leads RIT and the Liberty League in scoring with 98 points. She needs two points to become the second Tiger to record 100 points in a season. She is second in assists (43) and third in goals (55). Livecchi enters Tuesday second all-time at the university in scoring with 277 career points and is third all-time with 189 goals. Fallone is tied for first in the league with 62 goals and is fourth with 71 points. Maegen Schmauder and
Savannah Clemens (Livonia, NY/Livonia) are tied for fifth in the league with 27 caused turnovers apiece, while
Colette Rigas (Marietta, NY/Marcellus) is fourth with 65 draw controls.
Ithaca enters Saturday as the highest scoring team in the Liberty League, averaging 14.76 goals per game. The Bombers are third defensively, allowing 8.24 goals per contest. Ithaca leads the Liberty League in ground balls (23.16), caused turnovers (13.00) and draw controls (13.94). Allie Panara leads Ithaca in scoring with 82 points on 35 goals and 47 assists. Elizabeth Rice is second on the team in scoring and is tied with Fallone for first in the league with 62 goals, averaging 4.13 per contest. Goalie Kimberly Presuto is fifth in the league with an 8.41 goals against average, fourth with a .518 save percentage. The Bombers beat RIT 14-10 a week ago.
Rensselaer enters the weekend seventh in the league in scoring, averaging 10.73 goals per game. The Engineers are fourth defensively, allowing 9.14 goals per contest. Maddy Aslansan leads RPI in scoring and is ninth in the league with 47 points. She is eighth in the league, averaging 2.53 goals per game. Goalie Aleena Milinski is seventh in the Liberty League with a 9.20 goals against average and leads the league with a .536 save percentage. Rensselaer is 5-2 all time versus the Tigers. The Engineers won 13-12 in overtime on March 31.
The Herons are fifth in the league, averaging 11.31 goals per game, and are the top defensive team in the league, allowing 6.06 goals per contest. Melissa Moore leads the Herons and is seventh in the league, averaging 3.44 points per game. Goalie Jules Kennedy is third in the league with a 6.20 goals against average and is second with a .535 save percentage. William Smith is 7-2 all time versus RIT, including a 14-9 win by the Herons on March 28. RIT's lone win over William Smith was in 2012, while the Tigers have not beaten RPI since 2016.
