Video Highlights (Courtesy of RPI)

TROY, N.Y. – The 15th-ranked Union College men's lacrosse team scored the only five goals of the fourth quarter to break open a tie game and hand #16 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute a 17-12 defeat in a matchup of nationally-ranked Liberty League squads on Wednesday night at RPI's East Campus Field.
 
With the victory, Union (11-1, 6-0 Liberty League) clinches a first-round bye in the upcoming Liberty League Tournament and also moves to 11-1 for the first time in the program's long history, besting the previous record of 10-1 set first in 1966 and matched in 1974 and 2014. RPI (10-3, 4-2 Liberty League) falls into a third-place tie with St. Lawrence University with the loss.
 
It was another well-balanced effort offensively for Union, with 10 different players finding the net on the night. Junior Kerry Lyne had a big day with a game-high five points on three goals and two assists, followed by sophomore Hayden Frey with three tallies. Fellow sophomores Brian Davis, Aidan Flood and Keaton McCann all had two goals each as well for the visitors.
 
The Dutchmen were dominant at the X once again, as the tandem of senior Alex Newhouse and junior Patrick Regan combined to win 25-of-33 faceoffs, including 16-of-17 in the opening half. Newhouse lost only four times on 19 draws, while Regan was successful on 10-of-14 attempts.
 
In a matchup befitting two nationally ranked teams, neither team led by more than two tallies over the first two quarters of play. RPI scored the first two goals of the game, but Union came back with the next three courtesy of Lyne, McCann and Flood to take a 3-2 advantage – and the Dutchmen never trailed again.
 
The Engineers tied the game on seven different occasions, but every single time Union had an answer. The Dutchmen took a three-goal lead midway through the third thanks to a pair of Davis scores, but RPI seemed to take back the momentum with four of the quarter's final five goals to knot the score at 12.
 
However, the Dutchmen were dominant in the final frame, scoring five unanswered tallies to secure the win. Frey put the visitors back up for good 2:15 into the quarter, followed by a huge score from junior Jimmy Connolly to double the lead with 7:40 left. McCann and Lyne gave Union some breathing room soon after, before Frey bookended the quarter with another goal with 2:44 to go to seal the win.
 
After having some trouble with RPI's tough defense in the first half, Union turned the ball over only seven times in the second half and put 20 shots on goal to RPI's 10 over the final 30 minutes. Senior Jack Santilli made five of his game-high 11 saves in the second half as the Dutchmen came away with the gritty win.
 
Union will look for its eighth straight victory on Saturday, when the team heads to Vassar College for a 1 p.m. date with the Brewers.