CLEARWATER, Fla. (March 9, 2026) – The USMMA women's lacrosse team was defeated by the Rochester Institute for Technology, 15-7, early on Monday on the first day of the Mariners' spring break trip down in Florida. The setback drops Merchant Marine's record to 1-1, while the Tigers improve to 5-0.
 
Game Link

• Box Score 

Junior Leslie Wysong (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) recorded a team-high four points with two goals and two assists on the day, while also scooping up three draw controls and two ground balls. Classmate Grace Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa.) added three points (2G, 1A) and a team-best six draw controls, while sophomore Reese Ripley (Denver, Colo.) found the back of the net twice. Also contributing offensively was freshman Sarah Litz (Westminster, Md.) with one goal and sophomore Lana Hayes (Toms River, N.J.) with one helper.
 
Senior goalie Karianna Eagle (Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) made four saves and secured a game-high 11 ground balls, while also being one of three Mariners tied for the team-high with three caused turnovers. The other two were a pair of defenders – senior Nicole Nagengast (Seaford, N.Y.) and sophomore Juliet Trouse (Riverdale, N.J.).
 
The game was fairly even, statistically, with the Tigers just outshooting the Mariners overall (28-20) and in shots-on-goal (15-9), but every other category, except one, was within one or two – USMMA had four saves to RIT's three; there was only one more turnover by the Mariners than by the Tigers; both teams cleared the ball successfully 15 times, (15-of-23 for USMMA, 15-of-17 for RIT), both teams had 20 ground balls; and the Tigers had a slightly bigger edge in draw controls, 14-10.
 
The Mariners struck first when Wysong scored at the 12:48 mark. After the Tigers responded almost three minutes later, Ripley followed with a pair of goals, including a man-up tally, to give USMMA a 3-1 advantage midway through the period. RIT answered with the final three goals of the quarter, including two man-up scores and a free-position goal to take a 4-3 lead into the second quarter.
 
From there, RIT gradually pulled away, outscoring the Mariners 11-4 over the final three quarters. The Tigers extended the margin in the second quarter with four unanswered goals, several coming on free-position or man-up opportunities. RIT added two more tallies early in the third before USMMA briefly responded with back-to-back scores from Litz and Picozzi to make it 10-5. The Tigers regained control in the fourth with a 5-2 edge in the period, sealing the 15-7 result despite late goals from Wysong and Picozzi for the Mariners. 
 
RIT was led offensively by Jenna Bovenzi, who finished with four goals and three assists for a game-high seven points. Grace Validzic added three goals and one assist, while Morgan Nichter and Kate Trojan each scored twice. In goal for the Tigers, Ellie Ruddy made three saves for the Tigers, while also securing six GBs. Milena Stephen controlled the draw with a game-high seven draw controls and Adele Jones added four caused turnovers to lead all players.
 
Up next, the Mariners will take on Washington College (Md.) this Wednesday, March 11, beginning at 10 a.m. right back at the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex in Clearwater, Fla.
 
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