ST. LOUIS, MO – 10th-ranked University of Rochester women's soccer upset previously unbeaten and unscored upon No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon at Francis Olympic Field.
 
The 'Jackets would strike first quickly into the first half, getting on the scoreboard just under four minutes in. After UR earned a free kick, Megan Pung sent the ball in toward goal, and after it was headed by a pair of Yellowjackets, the Bears' defense couldn't fully clear it.
 
The ball made its way to Natalie Kocsis, who took a right-footed, low shot from about 25 yards out, beating a WashU defender and keeper to the lower left corner of the net to give Rochester a 1-0 lead less than four minutes into the match.
 
Mia McGinty tallied another shot on goal for UR in the ninth minute, forcing the first of Sidney Conner's six saves, while the Bears picked up their first shot at the 25:20 mark, with Grace Kuropatkin keeping out Anna Viscovich's shot.
 
Both teams tallied four first-half shots as the Yellowjackets played up a goal for the entirety of the opening period. Kuropatkin made a trio of saves, the first coming on Viscovich's 25th-minute shot, tapping it high to set up a WashU corner kick.
 
Pung and Claire Grover answered on the other end for Rochester with a pair of shots wide, while Kuropatkin made two more saves down the stretch to send the 'Jackets into the break with a 1-0 lead.
 
The Bears though, would look to strike quickly to start the second, tallying four shots and two corner kicks in the first 15 minutes of the second frame.
 
Kuropatkin saved the opening salvo from Viscovich after a giveaway and quick shot inside the box, while minutes later, after Kuropatkin came off her line to make a play, Emma Cohen made UR's first of two team saves, stopping Gaelen Clayton's shot from finding the back of a wide-open net.
 
Grace Ehlert's 54th-minute follow was knocked away by Kuropatkin. And after Rochester defended back-to-back WashU corners, Cohen made another save, this time stopping Viscovich's shot following a WashU cross into the box.
 
Rochester then finally took the ball the other way, getting some room to work with in the offensive zone, and after Lauren Blanch was taken down heading towards the box, UR doubled its lead off another free kick in the 63rd minute.
 
Pung again took the kick for UR, firing one on goal from about 16 yards out, and when Conner couldn't catch it cleanly, Sydney Holmes got a foot on it, knocking it over to Blanch, who chested it into the back of the net to make it a 2-0 Rochester lead.
 
That second goal would prove to be decisive, as WashU finally got on the scoreboard in the 72nd minute. A foul in the box gave the Bears a penalty kick, and Jessica Greven beat Kuropatkin with a shot to the lower-right corner, pulling WashU within a score.
 
But the Yellowjacket defense would hold firm the rest of the way, holding WashU to just two shots over the game's final 15 minutes, neither of which were on goal.
 
Ehlert sent one high in the 79th minute, while Viscovich's last-ditch attempt in the 82nd minute was wide.
 
Sarah Martin nearly made it 3-1 as the clock ticked toward zero in the 86th minute, firing a shot off a loose ball on goal at the 85:59 mark, but Conner made a diving save to keep UR from putting the game out of reach. However, it wouldn't matter, as the 'Jacket defense kept WashU from finding the equalizer to finish off the 2-1 victory, celebrating as the final horn sounded.
 
Rochester moves to 11-0-5 (2-0-4 UAA) with the win, remaining unbeaten on the year, while the Bears fall to 14-1-1 (4-1-1 UAA), tightening up the top of the UAA standings with just one game left.
 
WashU still currently sits in first with 13 points, while Case Western Reserve (3-1-2, 11 points) and Rochester (10 points), sit close behind.
 
The Yellowjackets downed a No. 1-ranked team for just the second time in program history, having previously beaten then-No. 1 William Smith, 1-0, on Sept. 21, 2019. UR has faced the No. 1 team in the country twice this season, having previously tied Carnegie Mellon, 1-1, when the Tartans were ranked No. 1 earlier this year.
 
Seven different Yellowjackets tallied UR's seven shots, with Blanch, Jordyn Kowalkowski, Martin, McGinty and Kocsis each putting one on goal. Kuropatkin made four saves in goal for Rochester, while Cohen helped tally both of the 'Jackets' team saves.
 
As a team, WashU outshot UR, 13-7, but Kuropatkin's four saves and the two team saves helped Rochester hold the Bears to just one score.
 
The Yellowjackets will wrap up the regular season with their Senior Day matchup against Emory University on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 11:00 a.m. at Edwin Fauver Stadium.