PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – University of Rochester field hockey battled back from a first-half deficit to defeat No. 15 SUNY Cortland, 3-2, in overtime on Tuesday evening at Fauver Stadium.
 
After SUNY Cortland leveled the score at two-all on Keirra Ettere's second goal of the night with less than five minutes to play, UR and Cortland would head to OT, all tied at two.
 
And just over a minute into the first overtime period, Ettere found herself on a breakaway with just Kara Houston to beat. But Houston made the diving save, one of seven on the night for the sophomore, and the Yellowjacket defense defended Cortland's ensuing corner to keep the game level at two.
 
Houston would pick up another save on Hanna Corrigan's shot a little over a minute later before UR would take it the other way. Mara Heppard sent it over to Delainey Hebble, who passed it up ahead to Bella Militi, with a breakaway opportunity.
 
Militi, with just one defender and Cortland's keeper between her and the goal, took the ball from just beyond midfield into the scoring zone. There, Militi caught the defender flat-footed, as she moved across the goal, before beating Emma Morgan to her left to score the game-winner and give Rochester a 3-2 victory.
 
The Red Dragons would earn the first penalty corner just under seven minutes into the first quarter, peppering Houston with four early looks, two blocked, one saved and another saved by Elisabeth Sidorski, before Cortland would put one through to take an early lead.
 
Off her rebound, Ettere sent one just past Houston to give the Red Dragons a 1-0 lead midway through the opening quarter, a lead which Cortland would hold till the third.
 
Houston would pick up another save in the 11th minute, again saving Ettere's shot, while UR's offense got going with a few minutes left in the period, with Maeve Fogarty forcing the first of Morgan's four saves off a nice feed from Viviana Arnold.
 
The Red Dragons outshot UR, 7-2, in the first, but the Yellowjackets would come back to outshoot Cortland, 4-3, in the second.
 
Early on in the second though, Cortland would send another pair of shots on goal, the second of which resulted in a penalty stroke for Gianna Trunfio. However, Trunfio sent the stroke right at Houston, who made the save to keep SUNY Cortland's lead at just one.
 
The Yellowjackets then picked up their first penalty corner after Zoe Conomikes' shot was saved with less than three minutes till half. And while Heppard set up Conomikes for another blast, Morgan again made the kick save to keep UR out of the back of the net.
 
Rochester would have one more opportunity off a penalty corner with 23 seconds left in the half, but Conomikes', who led UR with six shots, volley was blocked, and the Red Dragons took a 1-0 lead into the break.
 
UR though, would quickly tie things up to start the third. Off a 36th-minute corner, Militi tipped in Conomikes' dribbler from three yards out, evening the score at 1-1.
 
And though the Red Dragons would earn six corners in the third, the 'Jackets' defense held No. 15 Cortland to just two shots in the quarter, both from Corrigan who sent one wide, while the other was blocked.
 
With the score tied, UR kept the pressure on Cortland's defense to start the fourth, with a pair of early penalty corners resulting in two shots blocked, both from Conomikes, before Kayla Ballas' shot was saved. But on the rebound, Anya Arenseau poked it back in, giving Rochester its first lead of the night, 2-1 with less than 12 minutes to play.
 
The 'Jackets would then have a chance to extend their lead in the 52nd minute, as Conomikes found Fogarty with a cross, but the sophomore's shot went just wide, keeping the lead at 2-1.
 
And with the clock ticking below five minutes, Ettere would score once again, breaking through Rochester's defense before juking a defender and scoring from six yards out to tie the game at two-all and set up Militi's overtime, game-winner.
 
Rochester moves to 7-4 on the year, while the 15th-ranked Red Dragons take their first loss of the season, falling to 8-1.
 
Offensively, Militi led UR with two goals, while Arseneau added another and Conomikes notched the 'Jackets' lone assist. As a team, Rochester tallied 13 shots, seven on goal, compared to 16 for Cortland, 10 of which were on goal.
 
In goal, Houston earned the win, making seven saves, while Morgan made four for Cortland.
 
The Yellowjackets will look to make it five straight when they resume Liberty League play on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 5:00 p.m. vs. Vassar College at Edwin Fauver Stadium.