Mary Walsh scored with 3:30 left in the first sudden death overtime period to give the women's soccer team a dramatic 2-1 victory over Carnegie Mellon University at Edwin Fauver Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
With the victory, the Yellowjackets improved to 5-0-1 in the University Athletic Association and 14-1-2 overall. Rochester remains three points ahead of the University of Chicago in the race for the UAA title and the league's automatic NCAA playoff ticket.
Walsh scored both goals for the Yellowjackets. She has 12 this year, seven are gamewinners.
Carnegie Mellon took a 1-0 lead nine minutes into the second half. Kristin Bevilacqua crossed the ball from left wing. Molly Leitch came out to punch it clear, but could only bat it into the center of the box. Hallie Dumont pounced on the rebound and drove it into the net ar 54:42.
Just minutes later, the Tartans nearly took a 2-0 lead. Nadya Yaghoubi crossed the ball along the endline from deep on right wing. Bevilacqua dashed to the left post and just missed connecting with the ball at the left post.
Rochester finally broke through at 73:35, using the same combination that clicked for the gamewinning goal vs. Emory on Friday night. Kristin Leskow played the ball up from midfield to Walsh hanging even with the CMU backs. She took the pass, outstepped a defender, and raced in from the right side where she slotted the ball past CMU goalkeeper Christie Adams into the lower left hand corner.
The gamewinning goal came along the same lines. Anne McMahon got it ahead to Emily Urbanczyk and she played it onto Walsh's foot. The junior striker turned and arched a tough angle shot from eight yards out that sailed beyond the onrushing Adams and into the center of the net at 96:30.
Adams finished with six saves for CMU. Adrianne Hulchanski had five saves in the first half for the Yellowjackets. Leitch, who played the second half and the OT, had one save.
Rochester outshot the Tartans, 14-9. The Yellowjackets had five corner kicks to one for the visitors.
