PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – The University of Rochester field hockey team picked up its third straight conference victory, defeating visiting Union College 2-0 on Friday afternoon at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
A pair of Yellowjacket seniors,
Kayla Ballas and
Mara Heppard, accounted for the goals, with
Maeve Fogarty and
Zoe Conomikes registering assists in the win.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Kara Houston was credited with six saves in the shutout victory, her fifth of the season. Over her two seasons, she has recorded 13 solo shutouts, moving her into a tie for fifth all-time in team history. The win was Houston's 18th at Rochester, as the sophomore cracked the top-10 on UR career list.
Union recorded the first shot attempt of the game in the ninth minute, with Alyssa Pavano flicking a backhand on target four yards off the goal line. Houston made the save and defender
Jodie Zeng cleared a rebound attempt from Megan Dorsey away.
With time running out in the opening period, a long hit was tracked down at the end line by Ballas, who centered a pass into the circle to Conomikes. The UR senior attempted a 6-yard backhand lifted shot that sailed high, as the teams battled to a scoreless first quarter.
The Garnet Chargers (6-6, 2-2 Liberty League) applied offensive pressure in the early part of the second quarter, earning a penalty corner which resulted in two shots. Both attempts, one by Amy Vytopilova and one by Grace Krebs were saved away by Houston in the cage.
A third attempt in the flurry was blocked, leading to another Union corner that results with two more shot attempts by Vytopilova and Krebs.
Rochester (10-5, 3-1 Liberty League) took the lead four minutes later with Ballas recording a goal for the second straight game.
The play started along the right sideline by Conomikes who dribbled into the circle and sent a cross pass in front of the goal. Fogarty redirected the ball through traffic to the left post where Ballas was waiting for the sweep tap-in goal.
In the final minute of the quarter, Rochester's lead doubled off a penalty corner goal. Heppard inserted the corner to the top of the circle where Conomikes took a hard attempt towards the left post. Heppard camped out two yards off the line after the initial pass and perfectly redirected the pass into the top of the cage for the 2-0 Yellowjackets lead.
Much of the third quarter was played in the midfield, with the Garnet Chargers registering the only two shot attempts, both of which were blocked away.
It was more of the same in the fourth quarter, with Union taking two shots, one on goal, and Rochester earning one shot attempt over the final 15 minutes.
With the victory, head coach
Wendy Andreatta earned her tenth win of the 2023 campaign, extended her streak of 10-plus win seasons at Rochester to 16th straight dating back to her first season on the River Campus back in 2007. She is UR's all-time field hockey wins leader, now with 229 over her 16 seasons on the sidelines.
Rochester's 3-1 Liberty League record has the Yellowjackets in a four-way tie atop the conference standings with three league games left to play on the schedule. Ithaca, William Smith and Vassar all sit at 3-1 as well, with UR traveling to Ithaca on Sunday in the team's next matchup.
