PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – University of Rochester field hockey scored twice, in the first and third quarters, and then held on late to defeat the 22nd-ranked Ithaca College Bombers, 2-1, on Friday evening at Edwin Fauver Stadium, earning their second conference victory of the year.
Facing their second-ranked team in as many contests, the Yellowjackets held serve against the Bombers early, before notching the first scoring opportunity of the game. Rochester earned its first penalty corner after
Maya Ullrich's eighth-minute shot was blocked, and forced Maeve Clark to make her first of two saves on an attempt from
Molly Newbold on the corner.
After being stopped at the 7:30 mark, though, Newbold would put it past Clark just over a minute later.
Isabelle Torralba's long pass ahead caromed off a defender and gave Newbold an opportunity to score. The junior dribbled down the left side, turned and curled back to the right where she found an angle and found the back of the net from about eight yards out to give the 'Jackets a 1-0 lead.
Rochester would keep the pressure on Clark and the Ithaca defense, while holding the Bombers without a shot or corner the entire opening period.
The 'Jackets earned two more corners down the first-quarter stretch before the buzzer sounded, but
Grayson Honig saw her shot blocked in the 13th minute, and UR headed into the second up a score.
The Bombers, though, would get their offense going to start the second quarter, with a pair of corners and a trio of shots in the first five minutes of the second.
Ithaca earned its first corner just past the 17-minute mark, which resulted in a shot blocked by Payton Yahner, and another corner. Just over a minute-and-a-half later, the Bombers took another corner and sent a pair of shots on goal from Yahner and Ainsley Grant, but
Riley Leeser was able to get in front of both to make the save.
The Yellowjackets' lone shot of the second came off the stick of Ullrich, as the junior deflected
Sophia Cuneo's long pass in towards goal, but right at Clark, who knocked it away.
Up 1-0 after the halftime break, the 'Jackets would get back on the offensive to start the second half, earning a penalty corner just past the seven-minute mark of the third.
Cuneo again inserted the corner for Rochester, and
Hannah Mehta's shot got past a diving Clark and went off the leg of an Ithaca defender, resulting in a penalty stroke.
Gloria McDonald stepped up to take it for URochester and beat Clark to double the Yellowjackets' lead.
Both teams would defend one more corner in the third, before Rochester headed into the final frame with a 2-0 lead. Ithaca couldn't get a shot off on its just shy of the 38-minute mark, while the Bombers cleared Rochester's away in the 41st minute.
Just 43 seconds into the fourth, though, the Bombers would break through and pull within a score. Toni Ierardi's right wing pass found Caroline Folan in front of goal, and Folan caromed a shot in off the near post to cut Rochester's lead to 2-1.
And with a little over 14 minutes to play, the Bombers, back within a score, quickly put the pressure on Rochester's defense. Two minutes after scoring, Ithaca threatened again, with the first of three fourth-quarter penalty corners, all taken by Folan.
Mehta blocked Brooke Snider's shot on the Bombers' first corner just past the 47-minute mark, while after two more, Leeser kicked away Snider's shot, and Brady Sullivan couldn't put the rebound on net.
Then in the 56th minute, Audrey McMahon sent a shot wide, while Yahner missed wide on another 50 seconds later.
With a little over three minutes left, Ithaca pulled its goalkeeper, Clark, as it looked for the game-tying score, but the Yellowjacket defense stood firm and held the Bombers without a shot the rest of the way, sealing the 2-1 victory.
With the win, Rochester's first-ranked victory of the year, the Yellowjackets move to 9-5 (2-2 LL), while the Bombers fall to 10-4 (3-2 LL) with the loss.
Individually, Newbold and Ullrich each had a team-high two shots, while Leeser made three saves in goal.
As a team, Ithaca outshot Rochester, 9-8, with both teams putting four shots on goal. The two squads were also even on the day with six penalty corners apiece.
Rochester has a quick turnaround, as the Yellowjackets head to Schenectady, NY, on Sunday, Oct. 18, for another Liberty League matchup against Union College at 12:00 p.m.
