PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – For the fourth straight time in the all-time series between the schools, the University of Rochester and Vassar College battled to a 1-0 contest, with the visiting Brewers emerging with the key Liberty League field hockey win on Friday afternoon at Fauver Stadium.
 
The loss drops Rochester to 10-5 on the year and 3-3 in conference play, while Vassar moves to 11-3 overall and 4-2 in the conference. The Brewers entered Friday's game ranked #15 in the latest NFHCA Division III coaches poll.
 
Vassar's Tori Baker was the games hero, recording the lone goal late in the first half. The score was her first of the season in just her third game. The assist on the play came from Kelsey O'Connell as she slipped a pass in from the left wing.
 
Baker, who charged in from the circle on the corner attempt, camped in front about five yards out and got a stick on the pass, deflecting the ball into the left side of the cage.
 
The defensive battle yielded 23 total shots combined in the game, 14 for Vassar and 9 for Rochester. In the goals, Sarah Dumaresq made five saves in the shutout, while UR split time amongst Abigail Walrond and Helen Schmitter. Walrond allowed one goal and made four saves while Schmitter had two stops.
 
Rochester was able to earn the game's first penalty corner at the six-minute mark and turned that into two shot attempts. The first, by Juney Lee, was blocked. The follow-up by Vivienne Tucker ended up kicked away by Dumaresq.
 

With five minutes left in the half, Walrond made back-to-back saves, stopping Hailey Brigger and Baker to keep the game scoreless. The first save denied Brigger, Vassar's leading scorer, a point-blank chance from in close.
 
The offensive pressure by Vassar ultimately led to the penalty corner and goal 30 seconds later, as Vassar headed to the locker room with a 1-0 lead at halftime.
 
In the third quarter, the back-and-forth contest saw Rochester earn a PC three minutes in. The first shot from Amanda Strenk was blocked off the defense, with the deflection going to Karina Bridger at the left post. Bridger tried a backhand flip to get the ball into the cage, but Dumaresq made another nice save to maintain the Brewers lead.
 
To close the quarter, Vassar earned a corner with no time left on the clock, but the Yellowjacket defense was able to defend nicely, and keep it a one goal game.
 
A pair of Vassar yellow cards in the fourth had the Brewers playing a player down most of the period, tilting the momentum in favor of Rochester.
 
The Yellowjackets thought they had a tying goal with 7:25 left in the game when Strenk blasted a shot into the net off a penalty corner. But unfortunately for UR, the shot was ruled too high, and no goal was awarded, keeping Vassar up 1-0.
 
With time winding down in the final minute, UR's Lee and Tucker generated a couple turnovers deep in Vassar territory and ended up being awarded a corner just as time expired. The Yellowjackets played out the corner, but a swarming Vassar defense did not allow a shot, cleared the ball out of the zone and earned the victory.
 
Rochester heads on the road for its next game, coming on Sunday afternoon at Rensselaer. The road contest starts at noon on Sunday and will close out the Liberty League portion of the schedule for both teams.
 
After Friday's contests in the Liberty League, UR sits tied for fourth in the league standings with its 3-3 record. Ithaca holds down the top spot at 6-0, with RPI and Vassar each at 4-2. St. Lawrence is the other team at 3-3 in league play.