HENRIETTA, NY – University of Rochester women's lacrosse defeated the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds, 12-11, in their Liberty League conference opener on a chilly Saturday afternoon at RIT's Tiger Stadium.
 
After nearly five inches of snow postponed the Yellowjackets' original conference opener vs. RPI on Friday, UR (4-2, 1-0 LL) played Skidmore (3-5, 1-1 LL) at RIT's Tiger Stadium in a back-and-forth affair that featured six ties and five lead changes.
 
Grace Crochiere got the scoring started, getting Rochester on the scoreboard first with an unassisted score just over five minutes into the first quarter. The Yellowjackets would score the first three goals of the contest, Crochiere's score at the 9:33 mark of the first, Anna Rogers' unassisted goal with 6:54 left in the first and Gracie Giannettino's tally off Alyssa Gorny's assist just 44 seconds later to give UR a 3-0 lead.
 
The Yellowjackets and Abbey Smith won four of the first five draw controls of the period, but a turnover just past the five-minute mark gave Skidmore the ball and eventually their first tally of the afternoon.
 
Jillian Lockwood got the Thoroughbreds on the scoreboard with 3:53 left in the first, but Rochester quickly answered, going up 4-1 on Gorny's free-position goal with just over three minutes left in the opening quarter.
 
UR would add one more goal in the quarter on a second score from Giannettino, again off Gorny's assist, and headed into the second stanza up 5-1.
 
Ava Saffren made five saves in the opening period as UR's defense held Skidmore to just one goal on seven shots, but the Thoroughbreds broke through quickly in the second period, scoring five in a row to take the lead.
 
Tessa Snyder made it a 5-2 lead off an assist from Phoebe Ross, before Gabriella Modesti added another a little over a minute-and-a-half later, cutting Rochester's lead to 5-3. Ross added two more assists to level the score at five-all just shy of six minutes to play in the half, finding Julia Cafasso and Lily Schwartzman, before Lily Hunder gave Skidmore its first lead of the evening with her 26th-minute score.
 
Held scoreless and to just three shots on goal in the second quarter, the Yellowjackets headed into the halftime break trailing 6-5, but after a yellow card gave UR an early woman-up opportunity, the 'Jackets took advantage.
 
Giannettino added another score, her third of the afternoon, to tie the game at six-all with 12:31 to play in the third before UR retook the lead at the 4:30 mark on Crochiere's unassisted goal.
 
Then with the clock ticking under two minutes in the period, Maeve McKinley tied the score at 7-7 with a free-position goal, but the Yellowjackets would get one more tally before the third-quarter buzzer sounded.
 
Off another draw-control win by Smith and with a woman advantage after a Skidmore green card, Emily Schillinger gave Rochester a one-goal, 8-7, lead headed into the final 15 minutes, scoring off Giannettino's assist with 46 ticks left on the third-quarter clock.
 
UR would take that lead in the fourth, but just 41 seconds in, Cafasso again found the back of the net for the Thoroughbreds while Ross earned another assist, tying the score at eight with 14:19 remaining.
 
And after UR turned it over on their ensuing possession, Skidmore scored twice on back-to-back possessions, going up two goals, 10-8. Modesti turned UR's turnover into points, giving Skidmore a one-goal lead with 11:55 to play, and after Charlotte Taylor won the draw, Maddy Marr scored again for the Thoroughbreds to take a 10-8 lead.
 
Rochester quickly responded though, winning the draw, and finding Gorny just over 30 seconds later for another score, cutting the Thoroughbreds' lead to one, 10-9. Schillinger then nearly found the equalizer with a shot that clanged off both posts, but Giannettino kept the ball alive, giving UR another opportunity.
 
Out of a timeout, Schillinger this time found the back of the net, scoring off Ufberg's assist to tie the score at 10-all. And while Lockwood won the draw control to give Skidmore possession with under eight minutes left, both teams turned it over twice before UR got the ball back with under five to play.
 
Liv Kazanjian saved Giannettino's first shot, but after a groundball pickup by Gorny, Rogers gave UR the lead with 5:36 to play. Again though, Skidmore had an answer, leveling the score just 31 seconds later after a green card on Rochester, as Ross found Elizabeth Walsh for her sixth goal of the season.
 
Again tied, this time at 11, Rochester got the ball off a turnover and looked to score, and with 2:49 to play, Gorny scored again, giving the Yellowjackets a 12-11 lead on a free-position shot.
 
Smith won the ensuing draw control, one of eight on the evening for the senior, and after back-to-back turnovers, the Yellowjackets played keep away long enough to secure the victory, UR's first of conference play.
 
Offensively, Giannettino and Gorny each led UR with three goals, while Gorny added two assists on eight shots.
 
Defensively, Campbell Sy and Lorelei King each tallied a team-high three groundballs while Smith and Sy each notched two caused turnovers. Smith also led UR with a game-high eight draw controls, adding two groundballs. In goal, Saffren made 10 saves, facing 27 shots.
 
The Yellowjackets next continue their home stretch with a matchup against No. 21 Ithaca on Wednesday, March 27 at 4:00 p.m. at Edwin Fauver Stadium.