ITHACA, NY – The University of Rochester played one of its best all around games of the season, defeating host and second seeded Ithaca College 2-0 on Wednesday evening in the semifinals of the Liberty League Field Hockey tournament at Higgins Stadium.
 
Rochester's win pushes the Yellowjackets (13-8) into the conference championship game for the fifth year in a row.  Third seeded UR will host fourth seeded Vassar in the title match, slated for 1 pm at Fauver Stadium.
 
The victory also avenges an earlier 2-1 loss to the Bombers (12-7) from just two weeks ago, which allowed Ithaca to earn the second seed and right to host Wednesday's game.
 
Seniors Emma Schlechter and Maya Haigis scored the goals for UR, while classmate Kate Kujawa made three saves, earning the shutout in goal.
 

On the stat sheet, UR held and 18-8 edge in shots and 11-4 advantage in penalty corners.  IC's Savannah Lenker made a total of eight saves.
 
Rochester mounted offensive pressure right from the opening whistled and used that pressure to grab the lead just three minutes into the game.
 
On the heels of back-to-back penalty corners, Colleen Maillie sent a bouncing shot towards the net from the center of the circle.  Schlechter, who was camped in front, was able to get a stick on the ball, slapping it into the ground and past Lenker for the 1-0 Rochester lead.
 
Three minutes later, Ithaca got its first shot attempt of the game off, when on a counter, Brianna Lennon sent a cross from the right side to Kendall Keil.  Keil took a shot from eight yards on the left wing, but Kujawa was there for the save.  Less than a minute later, IC earned a penalty corner which resulted in a Lennon hard right wing shot which sailed wide.
 
In the second quarter, neither team could generate much in the way of offense, as Rochester was held to just two shots on goal, one from Kira Ozer, and the other off the stick of Catherine Hauser.  UR's defense held Ithaca off the board completely though, not allowing the Bombers to attempt a shot.
 
Six minutes into the second half, Haigis doubled the Rochester lead after the second of two back-to-back penalty corners.
 
Once again, Maillie started the play sending a ball in from the top of the circle.  Schlechter, who was screening Lenker in goal, deflected the ball towards the left side of the circle where Haigis came crashing in and slapped a shot into the cage for the 2-0 advantage.  It was the senior's third goal of the year.
 
Ithaca mounted their best offensive pressure of the game late in the third quarter.  At 37:01, Kujawa made a sprawling save at the right post, denying Ithaca's Morgan Mullen.
 
Five minutes later, Mullen was denied again, this time by Schlecther after her backhand shot from in close on the left side slipped past the UR keeper.  It was Schlechter's second defensive save of the season.
 
Sandwiched between Ithaca's offensive outbursts were two Nikki Mercer shots in the 44th minute.  The first one was saved, while the other was hit wide right after long hits into the circle from Maillie.
 
Ithaca's Kristen Rafferty closed the quarter with another good scoring chance, but her shot from a tough angle was kicked away by the UR keeper.
 
Rochester clamped down defensively in the fourth, maintaining most of the possession and not allowing the Bombers any deep penetration into their offensive zone, holding IC without a shot for an entire quarter for the second time in the game.