ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. β The RIT women's lacrosse team delivered a flawless performance on Saturday afternoon, completely overwhelming Bard College in a historic 18-0 shutout victory. The Liberty League matchup was dominated from the opening whistle by the Tigers, spearheaded by a career-high six goals from senior attack Zoe Heffernan.
The Tigers offense operated with surgical precision, effectively ending the competitive portion of the game in the first 15 minutes. RIT exploded for an incredible 10 goals in the first quarter alone. Heffernan set the pace with a first-quarter hat trick, while Grace Validzic added two early tallies. Five other Tigers found the back of the net in the opening frame, leaving the Bard defense entirely shell-shocked.
Despite easing off the gas pedal, RIT continued to build their lead methodically. Heffernan scored the solitary goal of the second quarter off a feed from Kate Trojan, giving the Tigers an insurmountable 11-0 advantage heading into the halftime break. The dominance extended to the faceoff circle, where senior Milena Stephen secured 10 draw controls, ensuring RIT maintained near-constant possession of the ball.
The second half was an exercise in clock management and defensive discipline for RIT. Junior attack Emma Ripley shone brightly, scoring her second and third goals of the game to finish with a career-high five points. Heffernan netted her final two goals of the contest, and Serafina Kiselgof capped off the scoring to finalize the 18-0 margin.
While the offense grabbed the headlines, the Tigers' defensive effort was equally historic. First-year goalie Grace Riley faced minimal pressure but made three essential saves to secure her first career collegiate shutout. It marked only the second time in the program's history that RIT has held an opponent scoreless, with the previous instance also occurring against Bard back in 2024.
Statistically, the game was entirely one-sided. RIT outshot Bard by a staggering 34-3 margin, won 15 of 20 draw controls, and successfully cleared the ball on all seven attempts. The Tigers will look to carry this immense confidence into next weekend when they return home to host Clarkson University at Tiger Stadium.