PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – A record-breaking and outstanding season for the 6th-ranked University of Rochester women's soccer team came to an end in the NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinals with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Tufts University on Sunday evening at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
 
Tufts (11-5-4) scored the lone goal of the game in the 82nd minute off the left foot of sophomore forward Elsi Aires who cracked her shot from just outside the box into the top right corner of the net off a centering pass from teammate Waverly Sumner.
 
The win propels the Jumbos into the national semifinals on November 30 in Salem, Virginia.
 
Rochester's season ends with a 15-1-5 record, equaling an .833 winning percentage, tying for the fourth best season in program history. In addition, the NCAA quarterfinals appearance by the Yellowjackets was UR's furthest run in the postseason since 1995 when the team also made it to the national quarterfinals.
 
Sunday's contest started out with a strong start for the host Yellowjackets, as in the opening 15 minutes, Rochester had two terrific chances at striking first.
 
After a foul in the second minute, UR's Megan Pung took a free kick from along the right sideline about 40 yards from the goal. The service bounced at the feel of Tufts keeper Gigi Edwards and over to UR's Sydney Holmes at the far post, but Holmes' header attempt at an open net was struck just high.
 
Pung nearly made it 1-0 at 11:44 on the Yellowjackets first corner kick of the contest. Grace Regenstreif took the corner and sent a low, hard ball into traffic in front. Pung took the one-timer hard on frame from the edge of the crease, but Edwards got a clean look and made the big early save.
 
In the 39th minute, Tufts had a pair of attempts at goal, but Sumner had a shot blocked and Casey Lam's bicycle kick was saved by Rochester's Grace Kuropatkin in goal.
 
Two minutes later, Kuropatkin again was tested by shots from Aoife O'Reilly and Sumner, but both were saved by the junior keeper, keeping the game scoreless.
 
In the final minute of the opening half, a centering pass found Aires outside the box, with her shot at goal being deflected by a UR defender, but the attempt still made it through traffic, forcing Kuropatkin to make a diving save to her right.
 
Overall in the game, Kuropatkin finished with five saves, pushing her total to 73 on the season. In addition, the junior had a decision in all 21 games for the Yellowjackets, with the 15 wins ranking as the third most in a single-season at Rochester.
 
Early in the second half, a back pass to Kuropatkin resulted in a heavy touch and a near giveaway in the box, but the Yellowjacket keeper recovered to deny a scoring chance for Aires who was up front, pressing on the play.
 
Strong passing led to UR's first good scoring chance of the second half at the 55-minute mark.
 
Streaking up the left side, senior Claire Grover centered a ball to classmate Mia McGinty who slipped a one-touch ball into open space towards first-year Lauren Blanch. Blanch dribbled towards the box and ripped a hard 20-yard shot at Edwards in goal, but the Jumbos keeper was able to make the stop at the right post.
 
With the score still 0-0, Pung had a pair of chances of free kicks in the 69th and 70th minutes. The first attempt from nearly 40 yards just skimmed over the top of the crossbar. The second 30-yard blast ended up skipping right on target, but Edwards handled the one-hop cleanly for one of her three saves on the day.
 
Three minutes later, good pressure up front led to another Yellowjackets near miss. Natalie Kocsis forced a turnover and the ball bounced right to Grover. On a slip pass inside, Grover found Kocsis who unleashed a 16-yard left foot shot that curled a bit too much, just missing the right post.
 
After the Yellowjackets chances, Tufts began to apply pressure at their offensive end, getting three shots in a quick two-minute span starting at the 76th minute.
 
Aries had an initial shot from outside the box blocked by Pung, but the ball settled to Sumner who took a couple dribbles inside the box on the left side and fired a shot that sailed wide right of the far post.
 
The third shot in the spurt was a sliding shot from Aires at the crease that was deflected away by the defense for a corner.
 
Tufts finally broke through on a counter-attack in the 82nd minute. With the ball in UR's attacking third, a long ball was sent up by a Jumbo defender to Sumner in space along the left sideline.
 
Sumner pushed hard into the box on the left side with several Yellowjacket defenders crashing back towards the goal, only to see Aires stop her run up and wait wide open for the drop pass back. The Tufts forward followed with one dribble before striking her 20-yard blast into the top right corner of the net.
 
Trailing for the first time all tournament, Rochester now pressed forward hard over the final nine minutes, but was unable to get a shot off, ending the Yellowjackets season.
 
The loss was just the second time Rochester was held off the scoreboard all season long, with the only other zero-goal game being a 0-0 draw against NYU on October 20. Rochester topped #16 NYU in the NCAA third round on Saturday afternoon to advance to Sunday's quarterfinal matchup.
 
Overall in the game, Tufts finished with a 15-10 advantage in shots while taking six of the games seven corner kicks.