PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – 10th-ranked University of Rochester women's soccer suffered its first loss of the year, falling to the Case Western Reserve University Spartans, 2-1, to open University Athletic Association (UAA) conference play on Saturday evening inside Edwin Fauver Stadium.
Two goals, both from Izzy Probst, powered the Spartans' upset, as the Case Western Reserve sophomore beat the Yellowjacket defense on two near-identical goals in the 51st and 86th minutes.
Probst led the Spartans with four shots, all of which she put on goal, while
Natalie Santangelo had a game-high five shots to lead the Yellowjackets.
Rochester got its first offensive opportunity just under two minutes in, earning its first two of six corner kicks on the night following an early attempt from
Femke Laudy that sailed wide. Santangelo saw her shot blocked off the 'Jackets' first corner, while
Ava Schmidt forced Ellie Palain to make her first of eight saves on the ensuing corner.
Eleni McGuire stepped up to make her first save of the night, one of four, on Probst's first shot on goal at the seven-minute mark of the first, a left-footed attempt McGuire stepped up and saved cleanly.
Sydney Holmes then put a pair of shots on goal over the next six minutes, forcing a Palaian to make a pair of saves to keep things scoreless.
Probst would get out in front of the Yellowjacket defense the first of three times in the 17th minute, knocking the ball away and finding herself in a one-on-one opportunity with McGuire, but UR's sophomore keeper came out of the goal to make a sliding save, knocking the ball away.
In the second half, though, Probst would again beat Rochester's defense and score twice, first to give CWRU the lead, and then to break the 1-1 tie and help the Spartans earn a 2-1 victory.
After the Spartans defended a Rochester corner in the 50th minute, Kat Tsarouhas fired a long pass up the left side for Probst. Probst beat
Baila Kessler to the ball in a footrace and needed just one touch to put the ball past a diving McGuire to the lower right to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead.
Rochester, though, would quickly answer a little over two minutes later.
Remi Cherkas' through ball found Santangelo charging up the right wing, and on the junior's cross from the right,
Eileen Harvey knotted the score at one-all with a shot that just got under a diving Palaian in the 53rd minute.
With the score all tied up, both teams hunted for a second, combining for 11 shots the rest of the way.
Santangelo nearly gave Rochester the lead in the 66th minute, turning and floating a left-footed shot on goal from about 20-yards out, but Palaian leapt to make the save and keep it out of the top-left corner of goal. And just seconds later on the ensuing corner, Santangelo clanked one off the crossbar, just missing another potential score.
McGuire came up with another save in the 72nd minute on a shot from Elizabeth DeHond, while the 'Jackets came up with stops on shots from Maya Healy and Rachel Mathew, resulting in a CWRU corner in the 80th minute.
Five minutes later, though, Probst would come up with the game-winner for the Spartans, as Sonora Hale's through ball sailed through Rochester's defense, whom Probst outraced and then beat with a left-footed shot from nine-yards out to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead.
Over the final four-plus minutes, Rochester would scramble to again find the equalizer, but Palaian saved Holmes' lone attempt, and the final buzzer sounded with CWRU still in front, 2-1.
The loss drops No. 10 Rochester to 7-1-2 (0-1 UAA) on the year, while the Spartans move to 7-3-1 (1-0 UAA) with the win.
As a team, Rochester outshot Case Western Reserve, 14-9 and 9-6 on goal, and also held a 6-4 edge on corner kicks. But Palaian saved all but one of the 'Jackets' nine shots on goal, while Probst put two of CWRU's six past McGuire.
Rochester will look to bounce back when they return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 7, hosting Alfred University to wrap up non-conference play at 5:00 p.m. on Fauver Stadium.
