ONEONTA, NY – The University of Rochester field hockey team saw its record move to 5-0 on Saturday, defeating host Hartwick College 2-1 at Wright Stadium.
 
Sophomore Molly Newbold picked up her second game-winning goal of the season, scoring a tie-breaking goal with under seven minutes left, with senior goalkeeper Kara Houston and defender Kyla Byer making two big saves in the final seconds to seal the victory.
 
Rochester, ranked #25 in the preseason Division III coaches poll, needed to rally in this one, as Hartwick (0-2) opened the scoring in the 37th minute with a tally from Kendal Woolley. Six minutes later, Erin Foley scored to knot the game up for Rochester, sending the game to the final stanza tied at 1-1.
 
Out of the gate, the Yellowjackets attacked early on, getting three penalty corners in the opening three minutes. On two of those set plays, the URochester got good looks, with Sophia Cuneo and Cassidy Romano just missing goals.
 
Houston made one save later in the period for the Yellowjackets, with those three shots being the only attempts of the opening 15 minutes.
 
The second quarter was controlled by Rochester, with the Yellowjackets holding a 6-0 shot advantage against the Hawks. UR's best scoring chances of the period came in the 27th and 28th minutes, when the team earned four penalty corners.
 
In the flurry, Anya Arseneau and Kristina Fedorova had shots saved by Hawk keeper Ava Reynolds, while Arseneau had another attempt blocked away by the defense.
 
During the third quarter, Hartwick stepped up the pressure offensively and it turned into the first goal of the game. The goal by Woolley was a rebound in front off of a hard penalty corner sweep shot from 12 yards out.
 
Foley's goal for UR was a terrific individual effort from the sophomore in her first season of action. After intercepting a pass off a restart, Foley chipped the ball past the goalie and slapped a 4-yard backhand shot between two defenders into the cage for the tying goal.
 
In the fourth, Foley nearly made it 2-1 Rochester, slapping a point-blank chance on net with 11:21 left on the clock, but Reynolds made a solid save, keeping the game time.
 
Five minutes later Newbold gave UR the lead. After a corner, Byer launched a hard shot on net that was saved. Erica Rawson corralled the rebound for the 'Jackets, and later the ball found the stick of Newbold who slipped the shot in after crossing from left to right in front of the cage.
 
During the final 30 seconds of the game, Rochester needed to fend off two corners to preserve the win. On the first corner, a hard shot in was deflected right on by Makayla Bales, but Houston stood her ground making one of five saves on the night.
 
On the next corner, as time was ticking under five seconds, Hope Angioletti unleashed a rocket from the right wing, but Byer held strong at the left post and blocked the shot with her stick, earning a defensive save, allowing the remaining time to expire.
 
For Hartwick, Reynolds finished with ten saves in the narrow loss.
 
Rochester's next contest is another big matchup, coming at home on Wednesday evening against Hamilton at 5 pm.