Visiting Utica College got two goals from sophomore Louise Steele-Norton, including the game winner, to earn a 2-1 overtime victory over the #18 ranked University of Rochester field hockey team on Friday evening at Fauver Stadium.
The sophomore tapped in a rebound after a scramble in front of the UR net 11 minutes into overtime to seal the victory for the Pioneers (6-3). Rochester (8-3) held a huge 21-10 advantage in penalty corners but could not generate any good scoring chances, resulting in only one Yellowjacket goal.
In the first eight minutes of the game, Utica's Hannah Mackey had three shots on the UR net, all decent scoring chances, but was turned away by Rochester goalie
Madison Wagner.
During the next 17 minutes, neither team could find the net even for a shot on goal until a UR shot was blocked at 25:43.
Shortly after, the Pioneers were able to strike first when Steele-Norton took a pass back at midfield and ran fifty yards up the left wing towards the UR net. She then fired a hard shot past Wagner for a 1-0 lead.
The lead wouldn't last though, as
Megan Keil tapped in a pass from
Gina Cunningham to tie the score. After the initial shot by
Michelle Relin was saved, the ball went right to Cunningham who saw Keil in front of the open net. She fired a pass to the far post and the sophomore midfielder was there for her fifth of the season.
Hall almost made it two straight goals for UR, but her lob shot less than a minute later sailed just high of the Utica net. At the half, the score was tied 1-1. Rochester held a 9-0 advantage in penalty corners at the break.
Utica provided many of the best scoring chances in the second half, with Steele-Norton and Mackey having their chances spoiled by Wagner who made 12 saves in the game.
With less than two minutes remaining, the Yellowjackets looked to grab the lead, but a great pass by
Katie Flaschner to Hall was spoiled by Utica defender Angela Charles.
Rochester again applied the pressure late, this time with 40 seconds to play. A Keil tip in off a
Lindsey Randall pass went just wide of an open Utica net. The play, set up on one of UR's 21 corners worked great, but the sophomore just couldn't finish and give UR the lead. Play would wind down in regulation and the teams would head to overtime.
In the OT, the 6-on-6 play really opened things up with play running back and forth down the field, but the first real good chance came with seven minutes remaining when Randall broke in along with the Utica keeper Kells Casey. After attempting a juke around the keeper, Randall was tripped up by the goalie and the chance ended there. The Rochester bench was calling for a penalty stroke, but the referee only awarded a corner.
Then in the 81st minute, Louise-Norton was able to score the game winner, giving the Pioneers a solid road win over a Yellowjacket team that has now dropped three games in a row.
Casey made six saves for the Pioneers in what was her first start of the season. She is 1-0 while Wagner drops to 8-3 on the year.
UR will look to bounce back in one week when Liberty League rival #5 Skidmore comes to the River Campus for a 4 pm match.
