The 9th-ranked University of Rochester field hockey team scored three goals in a four minute spurt in the first half, leading to a 3-1 victory over 14th-ranked Hamilton College on Wednesday evening at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
 
Senior co-captain Nancy Bansbach scored twice and fellow senior Courtney Dunham added the third goal for the Yellowjackets (16-1).  Hamilton (10-5) scored shortly after UR completed its three-goal run and applied tremendous offensive pressure in the second half, but the Yellowjacket defense withstood the burden to earn the victory.
 
In goal, UR's Kate Kujawa made a number of strong saves in close, breaking up multiple good scoring chances for the visitors.  Overall, the junior finished with 10 saves which established a new career-high.
 
Hamilton held the final shot advantage by a 16-7 margin.  Penalty corners were deadlocked at 7-all, with all seven for Hamilton coming in the second half.
 
Bansbach nearly got the scoring started late in the 7th minute, one-timing a cross from Colleen Maillie on target.  Her shot was kick saved by a sprawling Julia Booth in the Continental goal.  Booth finished with two saves on the night.
 
At 13:35, Bansbach took another shot, one which Booth couldn't stop, giving Rochester the 1-0 lead.  The UR senior gathered a penalty corner pass from Amanda Guido along the left edge of the circle and lifted the ball into the top center of the net, passed the reach of the Booth's stick.  Bansbach's goal mirrored the goal she scored in Sunday's victory over Rensselaer.
 

Less than two minutes later, Bansbach made it 2-0 when she was able to sweep in a cross from five yards out.  Teammate Leona Fisher sent the cross over and when Booth came out to try and intercept the pass, the net was left wide open for Bansbach to notch her team leading 18th goal of the season.
 
The Yellowjackets kept the foot on the gas, scoring less than two minutes later again.  For the third goal, a penalty corner was played out to the top of the circle to Maya Haigis.  After taking one dribble, Haigis slipped a pass between two Hamilton defenders to the right wing where Dunham was waiting and unleashed a rocket from eight yards which found the goal.
 
Hamilton stopped the 'Jacket scoring spree in the 23rd minute.  Maddie Beitler tapped a shot into an open goal after Michaela Giuttari flipped a backhand pass deep in the circle, much like UR's second goal of the night.
 
In the second half, Rochester got off to a strong start, earning a penalty corner in the opening three minutes leading to a Maya Haigis backhand sweep shot from the left wing, but Booth was there to make the save.  That attempt ended up being UR's final shot of the night as Hamilton's offense took over the rest of the way.
 
Kujawa made back-to-back point blank saves in the 43rd minute, denying Giuttari and Sarah Stinebaugh each goals.
 
At 61:01, Giuttari had another chance, but her backhand shot after a chipped pass into circle was stopped by the Yellowjacket junior keeper.  Two minutes later off of a Continental penalty corner, Sarah Pierpoint and Tatiana Bradley were able to slip behind the 'Jacket defense for open shot attempts, only to see Kujawa stand tall again with two more saves.
 
Hamilton's final scoring opportunity of the night came at the 66-minute mark when on its third straight penalty corner, Lizzie Clarke's shot from the top of the circle made its way through traffic, only to trickle just wide of the UR net.
 
Rochester concludes its regular season this Saturday with a 5 pm matchup against SUNY Geneseo at Fauver Stadium, while Wednesday's loss completes Hamilton's schedule.