PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – The University of Rochester field hockey team played its second straight double-overtime Liberty League game on Wednesday, this time coming away with a victory, topping William Smith College 3-2 at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
 
Sophomore Grayson Honig scored her second overtime game-winner of the season, tapping in a rebound off a Heron blocked shot in the games 76th minute. Honig scored twice on the night for 18th-ranked Rochester (10-2, 1-1 Liberty League).
 
Joining Honig in the scoring column was Zoe Conomikes who scored a key fourth quarter goal, with Mara Heppard picking up an assist on Honig's first tally of the night. Heppard, along with Hannah Mehta and goalkeeper Kara Houston played all 75-plus minutes for the Yellowjackets.
 
William Smith (5-7, 1-1 Liberty League) got scores from Abby Jones and Caroline Kogut, with Kogut's score being a penalty stroke with under four minutes left in regulation that sent the game to overtime.
 
The game was played even throughout much of the night, with Rochester ending with a 18-12 advantage in shots, using a big 4-0 boost from double-overtime to add to that lead. UR also led in corners, 8-6.
 
In goal, Houston made five saves for the Yellowjackets, while keeper Baker Jeremiah was credited with six saves for the Herons.
 
Rochester started out strong in the opening quarter, with Conomikes getting two good looks at goal in the opening two minutes. Her first was saved by Jeremiah, with a rebound backhand chance sailing high.
 
A few minutes later, Honig nearly made it 1-0, but her shot from the center of the circle on a breakaway was slipped wide.
 
With a little over a minute left in the opening period, William Smith got its first chance when Hannah Huston made a strong move inside the circle on the right side, but her tough-angle shot hit the side of the cage.
 
Rochester did manage four corners, but neither team could muster much in the way of offense, as there were a combined two shots over second period.
 
Ten minutes into the second half, William Smith broke through for the games first goal. On a transition attempt, Jones slipped a backhand attempt on goal, with Houston kicking it away. The ball didn't clear the circle though, and Jones regained possession and took a forehand attempt that beat Houston to her right, sneaking just inside the left post for the 1-0 lead.
 
With time winding down in the third quarter, Rochester got a huge momentum boost and tied the game with Honig blasting a shot from the right wing to the bottom left corner off a terrific 35-yard through ball from Heppard.
 
The momentum carried into the early portion of the fourth quarter, with Conomikes ripping a 12-yard center circle shot into the left side of the cage at the 47:41 mark, putting the Yellowjackets on top 2-1.
 
With under five minutes to play, the Herons mounted strong pressure in an effort to tie the game. A stretch of three corners and three shots eventually ended up in a Kogut attempt that was stopped from going into the goal by a foul, resulting in a penalty stroke.
 
The Heron first-year calmly took her shot and, despite Houston guessing the right direction, found the cage to tie the game at 2-2 with 3:14 remaining, eventually sending the contest to overtime.
 
In the first extra session, William Smith attacked early, firing two shots that were sandwiched around a penalty corner, but Houston and the UR defense that included Jodie Zeng and Abigal Mateer defended away the attempts.
 
Later on in the period, Mehta had a chance saved by Jeremiah, with Heppard unleashing a backhand just before the buzzer that sailed high.
 
With both sides tiring, two green cards late in the first overtime forced each team to play a player short.
 
Neither team benefitted from the extra player, with Rochester actually earning a shot off the stick of Honig despite being still down one body.
 
William Smith was held without a shot in the second overtime and in the 76th minute, Heppard sent another terrific pass into the circle to Honig. The sophomore slipped around the goalie and tapped a shot that was re-directed on goal by Sophia Cuneo.
 
The re-direct hit a defenders foot and would have awarded a penalty stroke, but Honig was there to clean up the rebound and end the game. Honig's final score was her 11th of the season and her fourth game-winning goal of 2024.
 
Rochester has another big conference matchup on Saturday, hosting Ithaca College on Senior Day at Fauver Stadium, with the contest starting at 5 pm.