MIDDLEBURY, VT – No. 15 University of Rochester women's soccer bowed out of the NCAA Division III Championship with a 2-1 loss to the 12th-ranked Middlebury College Panthers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon at South Street Field.
 
Neither side could get much going over the first 20 minutes in a first half that featured just four total shots, two for each side. The Yellowjackets drew Middlebury offsides twice in the early going, before Hannah Nagashima took the game's first shot just over 19 minutes in.
 
Nagashima curled a shot from the top of the box towards goal, but Livia Davidson made a leaping save, knocking Nagashima's attempt away for a URochester corner.
 
A little over 10 minutes later, Middlebury put its first shot on goal, with Gigi Day challenging Sydney Moore with a long-range attempt, but Rochester's graduate keeper was up to the task and made the save to keep things scoreless in the 30th minute.
 
However, just shy of the 34-minute mark, the Panthers would break through, as Fiona Linnau found Taya McClennen on the counterattack for a score. McClennen beat Moore with a shot to the lower-right corner from the right wing, giving Middlebury a 1-0 lead.
 
Late in the first half, the Yellowjackets would have one final attempt at an equalizer, pushing forward with numbers against Middlebury's defense, but Megan Anderson's attempt went wide right, and URochester headed into the break down a score.
 
Both teams would up the pressure to start the second half, combining for 16 shots in the final frame, after the first half featured just four. The Panthers put Moore and the 'Jacket defense to work early, earning a 48th-minute corner, while Moore was forced to come up with a save on Roshann Purcell's volley after the 'Jackets couldn't clear away the corner.
 
Just minutes later, Rochester earned a corner of its own, and while Sydney Holmes couldn't settle Natalie Santangelo's cross after the 'Jackets played it short, Remi Cherkas put a shot on goal, forcing another save.
 
The Panthers took things the other way as Chloe Swindle sent in a shot high and wide, while Stella Espinasse forced another save from Moore in the 54th minute.
 
Carolina Espinosa and Riya Kunderan each put a pair of long-range attempts on goal in the 69th minute, but both keepers were up to the task, with Moore corralling Espinosa's volley, while Davidson stopped Kunderan's.
 
Middlebury would again break through in the 78th minute, pushing ahead with numbers after a giveaway in the midfield. Swindle got the ball out wide and chipped it over to Lauren Tracy, just over the head of Baila Kessler, who one-timed it into the back of the net to double the Panthers' lead.
 
The Yellowjackets quickly countered, earning a corner after the restart, but the Panthers cleared things away defensively. Moore then stopped another shot from Espinasse on a free kick, and the 'Jackets, with less than 10 minutes remaining, pushed forward, in need of two scores.
 
Santagelo sent one wide in the 86th minute, while after several Middlebury fouls, URochester earned a corner in the 89th minute. The 'Jackets again played it short, but couldn't get a shot off; however, they quickly earned the ball back and again pushed forward.
 
With just under 30 seconds left, Claudia Ferreira sent in a free kick, and the 'Jackets would earn a penalty kick after a Middlebury defender took Delia McMullen down just inside the box.
 
Nagashima took the shot and buried it into the upper corner, well out of reach of Davidson for the score to cut Middlebury's lead to 2-1. However, with just 17 seconds left on the clock, the Panthers were able to play keep away the rest of the way to seal the victory.
 
Offensively, both Nagashima and Santangelo led Rochester with two shots each, while Moore made five saves in goal.
 
Middlebury outshot Rochester, 13-7 and 7-4 on goal, while URochester held the edge on corners, 4-3.
 
With the win, Middlebury advances to the Sectional Round of the NCAA Tournament, while the Yellowjackets wrap up the season at 9-4-6, having faced one of the toughest schedules in the country and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third-consecutive year.