SCHENECTADY, NY – Host Union College won a key late regular-season Liberty League field hockey matchup, earning a 2-1 victory over the University of Rochester on Sunday afternoon at Frank Bailey Field.
The score was tied at halftime 1-1, before Union's Amy Vytopilova scored the eventual game-winning goal with under five minutes to go in the third quarter. Union (8-6, 3-3 Liberty League) then clamped down defensively, holding the Yellowjackets without a shot or penalty corner in the final stanza.
Rochester drops to 9-6 overall and 2-3 in the conference, with just two Liberty League matches left in the regular season.
The Yellowjackets applied pressure in the early going, earning two shots on frame, one by
Sophia Cuneo and the other by
Molly Newbold in the opening three minutes. Both were saved by Union goalie Tess Parker.
Cuneo's shot came from a tough angle along the right hand side of the circle, with Newbold's follow-up attempt through traffic forced Parker to make a diving stop.
Union responded at the other end, getting a trio of penalty corners and three shots from the field in the next few minutes. Additionally, a penalty stroke was awarded after a defender stopped a goal at the goal line with a foot foul. On the stroke attempt, UR's
Riley Leeser came up huge with a save, stopping Ellie Innes with a blocker save.
With under a minute to go in the first quarter, Union's Maggie Monaghan scored off a rebound in front to give the Garnet Chargers a 1-0 lead. Caroline Ranucci had the initial shot from the top of the circle that was stopped by Leeser, but Monaghan was able to slap in the loose ball just inside the left post.
In the second, the Yellowjackets were held without a shot until the 29th minute, and were able to convert for the tying goal, with junior
Hannah Mehta recording her team-leading 11th score of the year.
Mehta's goal came from the top center of the circle following a Cuneo penalty corner, with Mehta's flick shot finding the way through traffic and into the cage past Parker.
Two early penalty corners in the third quarter aided Rochester in trying to surge ahead, but only one shot, that by Mehta, came about, with that attempt getting blocked by the Garnet Charger defense.
A hard backhand in the 39th minute by
Kristina Fedorova off a URochester penalty corner was a good chance but sailed wide of the Union net.
Two minutes later, Union was able to take the lead when a long cross in from the right side was sent in front by Maddie Greco. The ball deflected and snuck past the Yellowjacket defense and Leeser in goal, with Vytopilova camping out at the back post for a tap-in goal.
The Yellowjackets got a penalty corner in the final seconds of the third, but could not get a shot off on the set play, sending the game to the fourth with Union up 2-1.
In the final period, neither team was able to muster much offense, with Union taking the only two shots and earning all four corners over the 15 minutes, eventually squeezing out the one-goal victory.
The Garnet Chargers tallied 15 total shots in the victory, while UR ended with six total. Union also led in corners, 11 to five. Leeser ended the game with five saves, while Parker made two stops in goal.
URochester's next contest is a 4 pm matchup next Saturday, October 24, at Fauver Stadium against St. Lawrence University.
