PRINCE ATHELTIC COMPLEX – The University of Rochester field hockey team continued its strong start to the season with a 5-2 victory over visiting Hartwick College on Saturday afternoon at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
 
Senior Karina Bridger led the Yellowjackets with four points, recording her second career hat trick while adding an assist. Zoe Conomikes and Nikki Mercer had the other goals for Rochester (2-0). First-year Maeve Fogarty added two assists and Mercer also contributed a helper.
 
In goal, Helen Schmitter picked up the win for the Yellowjackets, making two saves. Defender Lesley Leatherman also added a defensive save.
 
The pair of Sydney Gagnon and Julie Ruzzi connected on both of the Hartwick (1-1) goals. Gagnon scored both, bookending the scoring in the game, recording the first and last scores.
 
Madison Maddocks made 14 saves and allowed five goals in the cage for the Hawks. She played 47:35 in net, while Amanda Klopper finished off the last 12:25 and made three saves.
 
For the second straight game to start the year, Rochester was caught a little flat footed out of the gate, allowing offensive pressure from its opponent in the early minutes. Hartwick opened the scoring in the 7th minute when Gagnon slipped a shot between Schmitter's pads off a cross pass from the right endline by Ruzzi.
 
The Hartwick goal gave the Yellowjackets the jolt they needed on the warm, 80-plus degree day. UR flipped the script the rest of the quarter and fired ten shots on cage, but were held off the scoreboard.
 

In the second quarter, Bridger evened up the score shortly after a UR penalty corner. The ball came around the outside of the circle and found Nikki Mercer's stick in close on the left side. Mercer slipped a pass in front to Bridger who slotted a shot past Maddocks from six yards for the equalizer.
 
UR kept the offensive pressure up, with Fogarty getting two good chances in close over the next few minutes.
 
Bridger gave UR the lead in the 25th minute on a great individual effort. She possessed the ball in the middle of the circle, did a spin move around Maddocks who came off the line, and shot a backhand into the goal for the 2-1 lead.
 
After intermission, the Yellowjackets scored goals on back-to-back shots less than five minutes into the third. Bridger got her natural hat trick, tapping in a left endline cross from Fogarty.
 
Fifty seconds later, Conomikes got her second goal of the season, blasting a hard shot right wing inside the right post after a long pass up from midfield by Bridger.
 
Late in the period, Hartwick's Lex Matarazzo had a shot in close, but Schmitter was there to make a save, keeping UR ahead by three.
 
Rochester made it five straight goals at 47:35 when Mercer slipped a backhand shot between her own legs from three yards off the line. Once again, Fogarty handled the assist, sending the ball in from the right side of the circle.
 
With two and a half minutes left in the game, Gagnon recorded another goal on a crisp penalty corner play by Hartwick. The ball was inserted by Libby Fortin to the top of the circle where Ruzzi gained possession. She flipped a pass to her left where Gagnon was waiting and flicked a hard shot to the left side of the net, beating Schmitter on the stick side.
 
In the closing minutes, UR's Bella Militi and Mara Heppard each had terrific opportunities to score, but Militi's shot was saved by Klopper, while Heppard's attempt caromed off the right post.
 
Rochester's next contest is set for Tuesday evening on the road at SUNY Cortland.