TROY, N.Y. – Senior Kristina Ramsden had two goals and an assist to lead the Mount Holyoke College field hockey team to a 3-2 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in a non-league contest at Harkness Field. The Lyons improve to 1-0, while the Engineers fall to 0-2.

Ramsden (Florence, MA/Northampton) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead when she scored from the goal line with 33:10 to play in the first half. Mount Holyoke had sustained pressure, which led to a Liz Delorme (Florence, MA/Bellingham) shot. RPI's Emma Lewis (San Diego, CA/The Bishop's School) stopped the ball behind goalkeeper Rachel Kaufman (Morrisville, NJ/Morrisville) for the defensive save, but Ramsden pushed the ball over the line to break the ice.

RPI evened the score with 8:15 left in the first half when senior Casey Collette (Lunenburg, MA / Lunenburg) swept in a loose ball off a scramble in front. Freshman Kaitlyn Stulen (Houston, TX / Memorial) started the play when she picked up the ball near midfield and carried it down the right side. She eventually crossed it into the circle, where it bounced to Collette, who was on the left side of the goal.

The Engineers nearly took a 2-1 lead at the end of the first half, but Mount Holyoke's Abby Baldwin (Florence, MA/Northampton) stopped a Jessie House (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) shot at the goal line as the horn sounded.

RPI finished the frame with a 5-1 edge in penalty corners, but the Lyons had a 9-8 lead in shots. Both goalies had one save.

Kass Lawrence (Holyoke, MA/Holyoke) put the visitors in front with 16:13 left in the second half when she deflected a shot from senior Mirjam Keochakian (Hamburg, Germany/Deerfield Academy), who had collected a pass from Ramsden off a corner. Keochakian drove it from just inside the circle and Lawrence tipped in past Kaufman, who she screened. Just under three minutes later, Ramsden deflected a Colby Newsham (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School) feed over Kaufman for her second of the season.

Rensselaer senior Mikaela DiBello (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) pulled RPI to within one, 3-2, just over four minutes later when she picked up her own rebound and battled to get a shot through traffic with just under eight minutes to play in the second frame.

Lyons goalie Morgan Turner (Chester, NJ/West Morris Mendham) finished with four saves in the win, while Kaufman stopped two shots.

The Engineers, who had a 16-3 edge in penalty corners and a 24-18 lead in shots, are right back in action on Wednesday evening when they host No. 19 Hamilton College (6pm). Mount Holyoke travels to No. 18 Amherst College on Thursday for a 7pm start.

Game recap courtesy of Kevin Beattie, RPI Athletic Communications. Photo of Liz Delorme courtesy of Perry Laskaris, RPI Athletic Communications.