PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – Behind Zoe Sullivan's career-high six goals and a 5-0 second quarter, University of Rochester women's lacrosse opened their home slate with a 17-12 win over the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles on Thursday afternoon at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
 
Lucy Haggerty got the scoring started for Rochester just 18 seconds into the opening period, winning the draw control and giving UR an early 1-0 lead. The 'Jackets would add another on Gracie Giannettino's free-position shot in the second minute before the Golden Eagles answered with three straight to take the lead.
 
Paige Thowe got things going for Brockport, getting the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard with 12:01 to play in the first, before Alayna Foos knotted the score at 2-all off Courtney Bednarz's assist. And just over 40 seconds later, Julia Quinlan made it 3-2 in favor of SUNY Brockport, as Cassidy Burnash found Quinlan to give Brockport a 3-2 advantage.
 
SUNY Brockport won the ensuing draw control as they looked to press their advantage, but UR got the ball back off a turnover from Quinlan, and Sullivan quickly evened the score at 3-3, scoring her first of six goals on the afternoon, this one off Haggerty's assist with 6:29 to play in the first.
 
Thowe would put the Golden Eagles back up by a goal just over a minute later, following Taylor Ford's draw control, but Ava Saffren's first of nine saves kept Brockport from extending their lead any further, and the Yellowjackets would wrap up the first quarter with a pair of goals to take a 5-4 lead.
 
Sullivan again found the back of the net, tying things up off Emma Little's assist with just under two minutes to play in the opening period, before Alyssa Gorny got on the scoreboard, giving the 'Jackets a 5-4 lead after one.
 
Saffren made another, late save to keep UR at a one-goal advantage, and the Yellowjackets would keep things rolling into the second, holding the Golden Eagles scoreless for the entire quarter and nearly 17 minutes in total, as they extended their 5-4 lead.
 
After nearly five minutes of scoreless play, highlighted by three more Saffren saves, including a free-position save of Alayna Foos, Grace Crochiere extended UR's lead to 6-4 with 10:15 until the halftime buzzer, scoring off Giannettino's assist.
 
Sullivan added another just under a minute later to make it 7-4, before Haggerty, Brooke Fiannaca and Gorny added three more before the end of the period to give Rochester a 10-4 lead.
 
In total, the 'Jackets outscored Brockport, 5-0 in the second quarter, with UR's defense holding the Golden Eagles to just four shots and forcing five turnovers.
 
And while Brockport would open the third-quarter scoring with four-straight, pulling within two on Courtney Cunningham's free-position goal with 7:12 to play in the third, Sullivan scored twice more in the third to slow the Golden Eagles' run, an unassisted score with 6:18 remaining, and a free-position shot with 3:13 left in the third to extend UR's lead back to three, 12-9.
 
Crochiere notched another score just before the end of the third, as the Yellowjackets answered Brockport's run with one of their own, scoring the final two goals on the third and first two of the fourth to take a 15-9 lead.
 
Giannettino and Sullivan got things going for UR in the fourth, with Sullivan notching her career-high sixth goal with 10:52 to play off Gorny's assist.
 
And while Foos would pull Brockport within five, 15-10, with 4:52 remaining, Rochester again came up with a response, as goals by Gorny and Fiannaca put the game on ice, with two late Brockport scores wrapping up the 17-12 Yellowjacket victory.
 
UR moves to 3-2 with the win, while Brockport falls to 1-3 on the year.
 
Sullivan led UR with six goals, while Gorny (3 goals, 3 assists), Haggerty (2 goals, 4 assists) and Sullivan each tallied six points. Crochiere led UR with six draw controls, adding two goals and an assist, while Lorelei King tallied a team-high four ground balls.
 
Defensively, six different Yellowjackets caused turnovers, while Saffren made nine saves in 60 minutes in net, earning the win.
 
As a team, UR outshot Brockport, 36-25, and forced 19 Golden Eagle turnovers.
 
The 'Jackets next head to Canton, NY for a conference clash against St. Lawrence University on Saturday, March 18 at 2:00 p.m.