THE BASICS:

- Score: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 16, MIT 6

- Records: MIT (0-2); RPI (3-0)

- Location: Troy, N.Y. (ECAV Stadium)

- The Lead: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute rattled off six unanswered goals in the second quarter, helping it create enough of a cushion as it went on to defeat the MIT men's lacrosse team, 16-6, on Saturday afternoon. First-year Liam Miller (Pasadena, Calif.) paced MIT with two goals.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- RPI posted three goals in the opening frame before going on its pivotal 6-0 run in the second stanza for a comfortable halftime lead.

- First-year Jack Montinaro (Riverside, Conn.) ended the shutout with his first intercollegiate marker after 35 seconds elapsed in the third quarter. RPI responded with four more goals, increasing its advantage to 13-1 with 3:49 on the clock. Sophomore Luke Gianni (Henderson, Nev.) won the ensuing faceoff and went directly to net for MIT's second strike of the game. A minute later, Miller connected on a pass from first-year James Santoro (Tewksbury, N.J.). Sophomore Mark Heatzig (Boca Raton, Fla.) made the score 13-4 courtesy of an unassisted marker with 54 seconds left.

- The score remained unchanged until junior Aidan Westley (Palos Verdes, Calif.) found the back of the net at the 8:58 mark of the fourth quarter. RPI ended its scoring drought 54 seconds later, but Miller quickly replied with a strike of his own. The hosts tacked on two more goals during the final five minutes to wrap up the scoring.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Senior Jake Stein (Vienna, Va.) collected four groundballs, followed by three from Santoro, Heatzig, and first-year Dennis Gastel (Lincoln, R.I.). Junior Jameson Kief (Plantsville, Conn.) generated two caused turnovers while Gianni went 14-of-22 in faceoffs and tallied 11 groundballs. In net, first-year Connor Kaminska (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) made three saves in the first half as senior Alexander Lynch (Roswell, Ga.) turned away four shots in 22 minutes of action. First-year Lukas Drexler-Bruce (Denver, Colo.) closed out the game with one save.

- MIT won 15 of 26 faceoffs as both teams generated 24 shots on goal. RPI ended the day with advantages in shots (50-36) and groundballs (45-34).

- MIT went 8-of-18 in clearing attempts and was unable to capitalize on its five extra-man opportunities. RPI, meanwhile, was 21-of-26 on clears and went 2-of-4 during extra-man opportunities.

UP NEXT:

- MIT concludes its road trip on Thursday, March 7 when it visits Curry College for a 4:00 p.m. start.

STAY CONNECTED:

- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.