ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College dropped tonight's Empire 8 Conference match 1-0 to visiting Hartwick tonight at the ACP Athletic Complex.

Freshman forward Sydney Franza tallied the lone goal with 18:38 left in the contest. Sophomore midfielder Grace Byrne recorded the assist.

RSC (4-9-1/3-3-0 E8) had its chances for an equalizer, taking six of their 18 shots following the goal. The attempts were mostly off target, going either high or wide, but a trio were blocked by the Hawks (3-6-4/3-1-3 E8) in a 22 second span within the 79th minute.

Goalkeeper Mickaela Buzzy (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta), a graduate student, (Loss, 3-3-0) stopped four Hartwick shots, while senior goalkeeper Sara Staup (Win, 3-6-4) made one save.

The Gators continue E8 play on Saturday afternoon at Medaille. The matinee is set to begin at 3:00 pm.

Notes: RSC returned 12 players from last season…Forward Natalie Ricci (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes), a graduate student, headlines the dozen…The team captain ranks in the top-ten in school history for career points and career goals…Junior forward Marissa Key (Monroe, NY/Monroe-Woodbury), who registered nine points last season, and all three goalkeepers are also back.

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