POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The University of Rochester field hockey team was defeated at Vassar College by a 4-1 score in its opening match of the Liberty League conference schedule on Friday afternoon at Weinberg Field.
Vassar (6-3, 1-0 Liberty League) scored twice in the opening quarter to take the early lead. URochester (7-3, 0-1 Liberty League) got an early second quarter goal to get back into the game before Vassar regained its two-goal lead later in the period.
The third quarter was scoreless before the host Brewers added an insurance tally in the closing minutes of the contest.
Vassar's Sydney Yu started the scoring in the eighth minute, slapping in a rebound from just outside the right post following a penalty corner shot that was saved by UR keeper
Katherine Jensen.
The lead doubles four and a half minutes later because of some Brewers pressure in the Yellowjackets defensive zone. The forecheck forced a turnover and led to a transition opportunity for the home team, with Julia Morris one-timing in a pass from Remy Phan for her third goal of the season.
UR earned two late corners in the final minutes of the first quarter, but a pair of shots did not end of target, one by
Sophia Cuneo getting blocked, while another off the stick of
Hannah Mehta slipped wide.
The Yellowjackets cut into the Vassar lead a little over two minutes into the second quarter. A corner was inserted by Cuneo to
Kristina Fedorova on the left wing. Fedorova took a sweep shot from the edge of the circle that was deflected inside the left post by
Hannah Mehta for her team-leading eighth goal of the season.
Shortly after the UR goal, Vassar was given a green card, giving the Yellowjackets a player advantage for two minutes. Unfortunately for Rochester, the team couldn't capitalize and was unable to get a shot off during the penalty time.
In the 24th minute, Vassar regained the two-goal lead, with Karina Hoffman slipping a six-yard sweep between the pads of Jensen. Yu picked up an assist on the play for the Brewers.
URochester's
Sophia Marcotte had a transition shot from the right wing end on goal, but goalkeeper Kendra Pitts made a diving save to keep Vassar up by two on the scoreboard as the teams headed into halftime.
Offensively, Rochester was held without a shot in the third quarter, but the Brewers were unable to build on their lead as well, thanks to some solid defense and goalkeeping by
Riley Leeser between the pipes.
Leeser made four saves in the third period and Fedorova was credited with a defensive save late in the quarter, denying Hoffman of a rebound goal.
Early in the fourth, the Yellowjackets got a penalty corner that ended in a shot on goal by
Erin Foley, but her redirected shot off a Mehta top of the circle attempt was kicked away by Pitts in goal.
URochester had a flurry of back-to-back chances in the 57th minute in an effort to claw back within one, but Pitts made two more saves, denying both Fedorova and Foley following a penalty corner.
The last shot of the game found the back of the cage, as Hoffman scored with 99 seconds remaining, poking in a rebound past Leeser to make it a 4-1 result.
From the stat sheet, Vassar led 24 to 10 in shots and 12 to nine in penalty corners. Pitts made four saves in goal for the Brewers, while Leeser ended with nine saves in the second half. Jensen finished with four in the first half for the 'Jackets.
After a day off on Saturday, the Yellowjackets are back on the field on Sunday at noon for another league matchup against Rensselaer, with that one being played at home at Fauver Stadium.
