If you want to succeed when you play one of your most traditional rivals and a stronghold in the sport, you need to be on task all game long. And Rochester was.
 
The Yellowjackets flourished, putting together one of their best matches of the year and it paid off with a 5-0 victory over William Smith College in the Liberty League opener for both teams at Edwin Fauver Stadium Thursday night.
 
With the victory, Rochester improved to 8-0 overall, 1-0 in the league. William Smith saw its three-game winning streak snapped. The Herons are 3-4 overall, 0-1 in the league.
 
These teams know each other extremely well. They've met six straight years in the Liberty League championship tournament – twice in the finals (WSC won both of those) and four times in the semifinals (those stand at 2-2).

Take advantage of the chances you create – and Rochester did. Four of the five scores came off penalty corners. It was 3-0 at halftime and the lead built to four before the second half was 10 minutes old.
 
They pressed from the start – and had multiple chances in the run of play. Eight minutes into the match – with UR already ahead 1-0 – Amanda Strenk backhanded a shot from the top of the circle past the right post. With six minutes left in the half and the lead at 2-0, Nancy Bansbach ran to the endline and pushed a pass through the goalmouth behind the goaltender with Catherine Hauser and Jennifer Lee narrowly missing a touch that would have made it 3-0.
 

The goals came from Colleen Maillie, Bansbach, Maya Haigis, Rachel Iaione, and Nikki Mercer. Bansbach had two assists, Kate Tiffany had one, and Lauren Sharpe had one. The only goal that was not assisted was the Iaione goal in the 44^th minute. In a crowded circle, the ball found its way to her stick with the net open. She tapped home from four yards.
 
Maillie had the opener off a PC. Sharpe angled the insertion to Maillie at the top of the circle and she rifled a shot inside the right post in the 6^th minute. It doubled 12 minutes later. Tiffany pushed the PC to Bansbach on the left arc. She settled it and lifted a ball into the top right corner just beyond the reach of Heron goaltender Alexandra DeVito (five saves).
 
Bansbach turned creator five minutes before the half. She collected a penalty corner, cut into the circle, then slid the ball to Haigis on left wing. From 10 yards out, the shot was good and the lead stood at 3-0. She assisted on the final goal as well. A PC went to Maillie outside the arc, then to Bansbach who hit a hard liner down the center which was deflected home by Mercer.
 
William Smith had a good chance to spoil the shutout with just under 12 minutes to go. Kelsey Pierce was wide open on the left side of the circle eight yards away. Her hard shot was saved by Kate Kujawa. The ensuing scramble ended in a penalty corner, which the Yellowjackets defended well, pressuring as the ball came to each part of the circle – near left, top, then right.
 
Up Next: Rochester plays a neutral site game on Sunday vs. SUNY New Paltz at Hamilton College at 2 pm. The Yellowjackets return to host Ithaca on September 29 in a Liberty League match, then are home to St. John Fisher on October 3… William Smith is in a run of five road games in the next six matches. The Herons go to Cortland on Saturday. They host Union on September 29, then play at Hamilton, Ithaca, and St. Lawrence.