CANTON, NY – No. 6 University of Rochester women's soccer picked up where it left off last regular season, outshooting the St. Lawrence University Saints, 20-9 en route to a 2-0, shutout victory on Friday evening at MacAllaster Field.
 
After an early, 12th-minute save by Grace Kuropatkin on a shot by Meredith Donahue, the Yellowjackets settled in and got going offensively. Claire Grover took UR's first shot of the afternoon, sending one wide of the mark just past the 12-minute mark, before Grover and Sydney Holmes forced a trio of saves.
 
In the 17th minute, Grover put UR's first shot on goal, forcing the first of three saves by Darcie McDonough, as UR's offense peppered the Saints' defense with 20 shots, seven in the first half and 13 in the second.
 
McDonough would save all three early attempts from Grover and Holmes, keeping Rochester and St. Lawrence scoreless a little over 20 minutes into the contest.
 
Just over three minutes later, however, Holmes and Grover would connect again, this time for a score to give UR the lead. Grover took advantage of a misplayed cross by the Saints' defense, put into the box by Holmes, finding herself 1-on-1 with the keeper, and the UR senior didn't miss, putting the ball into the lower-left corner of the net to give Rochester a 1-0 lead.
 
The Yellowjackets would take that one-goal lead into the locker room, and quickly looked for more in the second half, with their first shot coming just over three minutes into the period.    
 
Natalie Kocsis sent one wide a little over three minutes in, while Holmes and Grover again made McDonough work with two more shots on goal in the first 10 minutes of the second, with Natalie Santangelo adding another just a few ticks later.
 
Rochester earned two of their nine corner kicks following Santangelo's shot on goal, but Kocsis' right-footed volley sailed just a bit wide.
 
UR kept things rolling on the attack throughout the second, peppering McDonough with 13 shots, five of which were on goal, in the second, with several more blocked or just wide.
 
Grover and Hannah Nagashima each had a shot blocked in the 62nd and 65th minutes, while the Saints' defense blocked another from Nagashima in the 67th minute.
 
The 'Jackets dominated possession for much of the second half and overall held the ball for more than 60 percent of the contest, putting the pressure on McDonough and St. Lawrence's defense as they looked for a second score.
 
Rochester would finally get that second goal in the 73rd minute, with Syd Coggins finding the back of the net to make it a 2-0 lead. After finding a seam in the Saints' defense, Nagashima passed it to Coggins in the box, who got it over Eileen Harvey.
 
Following a few touches from Harvey, St. Lawrence's defense attempted to clear it, but the ball made its way back to Coggins, who had a wide-open net to double UR's lead.
 
Up 2-0, UR's offense kept the pressure on, with three more corner kicks over the final 16 minutes, while the defense stood firm to finish off the 2-0, shutout victory.
 
Kuropatkin picked up another save over the final five minutes, while Emma Cohen and Rochester's defense blocked two more. Overall, Kuropatkin faced seven total shots in the contest, three of which were on goal, and all of which the senior saved.
 
With the win, the sixth-ranked Yellowjackets move to 1-0 on the year, continuing their 13-game regular-season win streak, while St. Lawrence drops to 0-1.
 
Offensively, Grover led all players with six shots and four shots on goal, while Nagashima tallied three and Holmes and Kocsis each notched a pair. Grover and Coggins scored UR's two goals, with Holmes tallying an assist.
 
The Yellowjackets next head to Potsdam, NY for a matchup against Clarkson University on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 11:00 a.m.