MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - Luke Murphy scored three times and Joseph Perry made 23 saves as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's lacrosse team defeated Middlebury College 14-11 on Sunday afternoon on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium. With the win RPI improves to 6-0, while the Panthers drop to 1-2. The Engineers scored the only three goals in the opening quarter, including a bouncing shot from 10 yards out by Tyler Nails with 4:42 for a 3-0 lead. Middlebury battled back to knot the contest at 3-3 just 2:53 into the second quarter, as Gray Thomas cut across the crease and scored into the upper-right corner over Perry's left shoulder. The game remained tied for more than eight minutes until Cooper Urban snuck a shot just past Panthers goalie Finn O'Connor with 3:48 left before halftime. Goals by Middlebury's William Ryan and Finn Muldoon just 45 seconds apart gave the hosts a 5-4 edge. RPI answered with a tally by Murphy from 15 yards out with 1:25 remaining to tie the contest at 5-5. Connor Glosner scored just three seconds before halftime on a quick-stick goal for a 6-5 advantage. In the third quarter, Angelo Venuto won the opening face off, grabbed the ground ball and scored just seven seconds into play on a bouncing shot. The visitors kept the momentum on their side, outscoring Middlebury 5-2 in the quarter for a 12-7 advantage heading into the final stanza. Rhys Zoldi recorded a pair of man-up tallies during the stretch for RPI. Trailing 13-8 in the fourth quarter, Ryan found the back of the net for Middlebury with a high shot just under the crossbar at 8:24, while Will Zink scored on a nifty feed from the X by Gordon Pollock to cut the deficit to three (13-10) with 5:41 on the clock. Venuto won the ensuing face off and scored 10 seconds later for a four-goal RPI lead. Jack Sheehan scored with five seconds left for the Panthers on an extra-man opportunity for the final 14-11 tally. Murphy paced a balanced attack for the Engineers with his three goals, while Trey Froelich and Venuto each had two goals and an assist. Venuto collected a game-best seven ground balls, while Perry recorded the win. Ryan led the Panthers with three goals, while Muldoon, Sheehan and Tyler Forbes each scored twice. Luke Simpson scooped up a team-high six ground balls, while William Munroe had four. Garrett Hawthorne went 8-of-12 at the face off X, while O'Connor finished with 12 saves in the Middlebury goal. The Engineers open LIberty League play on Saturday when they host Vassar College at noon. Middlebury returns to NESCAC action on Saturday at Trinity College (1pm).