DUNMORE, PA – No. 21 University of Rochester field hockey picked up another road win, defeating the Marywood University Pacers, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon to remain unbeaten at 6-0 on the year, while dropping the Pacers to 2-4.
 
Despite an early score from the home side just over three minutes in, the Yellowjackets would battle back to knot things up nearly the end of the first. UR quickly earned their second and third penalty corners of the afternoon after Marywood's opening score, putting their first shot on goal with Zoe Conomikes' 5th-minute shot, saved by Pacers' goalie Sabrina Frazer.
 
The Yellowjackets would earn another penalty corner in the 11th minute, and again put a shot on goal, this time from Kristina Fedorova, and earn yet another penalty corner after Frazer smothered the shot.
 
A Pacers' defense save kept UR out of goal on Conomikes' shot on the ensuing corner, but it gave the 'Jackets yet another corner, one of 14 on the afternoon for the visitors, which Fedorova would this time convert, leveling the score at 1-1 11:15 into the contest.
 
The two sides would stay level throughout the second period, with Rochester sending four shots on goal in the quarter, and Marywood firing one.
 
Grayson Honig forced another Frazer save in the 27th minute, earning UR a corner, off which the 'Jackets attempted two more shots, one from Fedorova and another from Hannah Mehta, both of which the Pacers' keeper saved.
 
Frazer and Kara Houston combined for 21 saves over the course of the afternoon, with Houston stopping seven shots, while Frazer made 14 saves.
 
UR and Marywood would remain level as they headed into the locker room, but both sides would put pressure on their opposing defenses in the third.
 
Houston stopped an early shot from Lany Straub just over two minutes into the third quarter, while Cassie Slusser's attempt went wide on a penalty corner a little over a minute-and-a-half later.
 
Rochester then attempted its first of five third-quarter corners, beginning a near four-minute salvo on goal that featured eight shots, seven of which were on goal. But despite the onslaught of shots as UR looked to break the 1-1 tie, Frazer and the Marywood defense fended off each and every one of them.
 
Shots by Conomikes were blocked and saved, resulting in a penalty corner. Sophia Cuneo inserted the 37th-minute corner for UR, and the 'Jackets fired three shots on net, all of which Frazer saved.
 
Cuneo and the 'Jackets netted another corner in the 40th minute, but once again, Frazer made a trio of saves, stopping shots from Conomikes and Honig to keep things all knotted up at one.
 
Marywood then took things the other way, putting UR's defense to work over the final five minutes of the third. The Pacers earned back-to-back penalty corners in the 43rd minute and forced Houston to make a save off the second on a shot from Maria Tomada.
 
Houston made another stop less than a minute later on another shot from Tomada, before Mara Heppard kept the first of two shots from Cydney Lahr out of goal to earn a defensive save, with Houston stopping the second.
 
Following a third quarter that featured 16 shots and 12 saves, it wouldn't take long for UR to break the 1-1 tie in the fourth. Just 48 seconds into the final frame, Honig dribbled into the circle and fired a shot past Frazer into the back left corner of the net to give UR a 2-1 lead.
 
Mehta would double that lead a little less than six minutes later, weaving through the Pacers' defense and off an assist from Maggie Martin beat Frazer with a shot from the left of the goal to give Rochester a 3-1 lead.
 
That lead would hold till just past the 10-minute mark of the fourth, when Dariane Jones found Tomada for a score, pulling Marywood within one, 3-2. However, UR's defense would stand firm the rest of the way, holding the Pacers to just one shot, their lone goal, in the fourth, to finish off the 3-2 victory.
 
Conomikes led all players with seven shots, putting five on goal, while Fedorova attempted five and Honig shot four times, all four of which were on goal. Fedorova, Honig and Mehta scored UR's three goals, with Martin notching the lone assist.
 
As a team, Rochester outshot Marywood, 20-13, and 17-9 on goal, tallying 14 penalty corners, compared to nine for the home squad.
 
The 21st-ranked Yellowjackets next return home to Fauver Stadium for a matchup against Houghton University on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7:00 p.m.