University of Rochester Athletics

The 20th ranked University of Rochester field hockey team rallied from a one goal deficit in the final 11 minutes to top Misericordia University 2-1 in the 1st round of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
 
Senior captain Michelle Relin scored both goals off penalty corner blasts, coming two and half minutes apart to lift the Yellowjackets (17-5) into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA's for the second time in school history.
 
The visiting Cougars (10-12), were able to strike first in the 54th minute with a rebound goal from senior forward Lindsay Hischak.  After a ball was sent into the circle by Melanie Fry and was kicked away by UR goalie Tara Lamberti, Hischak was there to scoop in the rebound for a 1-0 lead.
 
"I give a lot of credit to Misericordia for their relentlessness in pressing throughout the game," said UR Head Coach Wendy Andreatta. "They had us on our heels in the second half and were able to capitalize on our miscue for a goal".
 
But Rochester was able to respond after a timeout, notching its first goal of the game off a penalty corner in the 60th minute.  Relin, UR's all-time leading scorer, ripped a hard shot from the top of the circle off a PC pass from teammate Tiffany White.
 
Then in the 63rd minute nearly the exact same situation unfolded as Relin found the wood work for her 21st goal of the season, matching her own single season record set in the 2014 season.
 
"We haven't come from behind much this year, so it was a good accomplishment to score two goals late and win the way we did", said Relin.  "Our whole team knew that if we got that first goal, we were going to score another to win the game."
 
Early in the contest, Rochester controlled the tempo, earning the first 12 shots of the contest before any player from Misericordia could get on the stat sheet.  But neither team could find the back of the net so the teams went to the break tied at 0-0.
 
UR's White had the best chance to score in the period, just sending a tipped shot wide at the right post off a penalty corner at the eight minute mark.
 
"We definitely had nerves in the first half," explained Cougar Head Coach Robyn Fedor Stahovic.  "But in the second half, instead of being reactive, we were proactive and that really changed the game."
 
At 48:37, Rochester nearly scored the first goal of the game, but a Sayaka Abe shot that trickled past Cougar keeper Angela Pasquini was saved off the line by defender Samantha Partington.  Less than five minutes later Hischak opened the scoring with her team leading 15th tally of the season.
 
"It was a great feeling after we scored, and I think our team was confident we could win after that because our defense was so strong," said Hischak.
 
But the Yellowjackets responded, scoring the two goals late to earn only their 2nd one goal victory this season.  UR looked to the senior class for leadership because they were the only members of the team who had NCAA Tournament experience before today.
 
"The game was really exciting, but we had lots of leadership from our senior class who were in the same situation as freshman," stated UR junior co-captain Abe.  "After the [Misericordia] goal, we were a bit frantic, but we calmed down and played our game after Relin scored because we had some experienced players who had been here before."
 
Overall in the game, Rochester held a 16-2 edge in shots and maintained a 6-0 margin in corners.  The win was UR's 11th in 11 tries at home this season going perfect on UR soil.  It was the first unbeaten home slate of games since the 1986 year when UR was 4-0-1 at home.
 
In the cages, UR's Tara Lamberti picked up the win making one save while Pasquini made seven stops for the Cougars.
 
"We played our game and came out on top, and we are honored to be one of the final 16 teams fighting for a championship," said Abe.
 
Rochester keeps its national title dreams alive and will move on to face #7 Salisbury University in the Sweet 16 on Saturday at Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA.  UR and Salisbury met in 2012 in the same round, with the Yellowjackets emerging with a 3-2 victory over the Sea Gulls.