ITHACA, NY – The University of Rochester field hockey team dropped a 2-0 decision to host and top-seed Ithaca College in the Liberty League Championship match on Sunday afternoon at Higgins Stadium.
 
#20 Rochester drops to 17-4 overall on the season, while #22 Ithaca improves to 15-5 and clinches the automatic berth from the Liberty League into the NCAA Division III Championship that begins next week.
 
Ithaca's win over the Yellowjackets was the second this season, as the Bombers also won 2-0 during the regular season back at Fauver Stadium on October 12.
 
The Bomber defense turned in an impressive performance in the title winning match, limiting the Yellowjackets to just three shot attempts and three penalty corners in the game. Ithaca, meanwhile, ended the contest with 15 total shots and six corners.
 
Neither team could muster much offense in the opening quarter, with the Bombers garnering the first penalty corner of the game at the five-minute mark. A shot attempt followed, but it sailed wide. Two minutes later another Bomber shot was blocked and following the second corner of the period, another shot ended up getting blocked by the 'Jackets.
 
Rochester's Kara Houston made the first save of the game five minutes into the second quarter, denying Juliana Valli's bouncing shot from the right wing. A corner followed, but Ithaca's next attempt sailed wide of the cage.
 
Flipping the script, UR's offense got some play in the Ithaca zone in the 26th minute earning its first corner. Mara Heppard inserted and the ball was passed around the circle before finding the stick of Anya Arseneau on the right wing. Arseneau's sweep shot went wide, but resulted in another corner.
 
On that second attempt, Zoe Conomikes had a one-timer sweep shot sailed wide left of the cage.
 
Neither team got a shot off the rest of the half, sending the game into intermission scoreless.
 
Ithaca's first scoring attempt in the second half came at the 35-minute mark and resulted in the opening goal. A corner by Brenna Schoenfeld was sent out to the top of circle, and a sweep attempt was sent slowly into the circle to Valli who had an initial shot saved away by Houston. The ball came right back to Valli who chopped a rebound shot up in the air and into the cage for the 1-0 lead.
 
The Bombers kept up the offensive pressure for the rest of the period, getting four more shots off, but Houston made two saves and the other were off target, keeping the game a 1-goal contest.
 
Starting the fourth, Rochester earned its final corner of the game and that chance resulted in a hard blast from the top of the circle from Kristina Fedorova, but the first-year's shot was sent wide left of the goal.
 
The score remained 1-0 until there was 90 seconds left in the contest when Valli found the cage again for her second of the game. A cross from the right side was sent into the circle where Valli settled and flipped a shot over Houston who charged off her line in an attempt to break up the play.
 
Ithaca held off the Yellowjackets over the final two minutes, completing the shutout to earn their first ever Liberty League crown.
 
Houston finished with five saves for the Yellowjackets.
 
Rochester will now hope for an at-large berth into the NCAA Division III Championships, with the field being announced on later on Sunday evening.