PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – The University of Rochester lacrosse team opened its Liberty League conference schedule with a victory over St. Lawrence, winning 14-12 on a cold and blustery Saturday at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
 
With the victory, Rochester improves to 3-2 on the season, snapping a modest two-game losing streak. St. Lawrence falls to 2-3 on the year.
 
Junior Jenna Ufberg had a monster day defensively for the Yellowjackets, causing a school record seven turnovers in the victory. She added a career-high eight ground balls and contributed one draw control.
 
The Yellowjackets leading scorer was first-year Sam Kinch who provided six points on four goals and two assists. Anna Rogers, Jenna Kessler and Alyssa Gorny each found the back of the net three times, with Rogers adding two assists and Kessler providing a single helper. Allison Weeden also finished with three total points, scoring once and adding two assists.
 
In goal, Madeline Merriman picked up her first collegiate win, making six saves while contributing four ground balls.
 
On Saturday, the Yellowjackets got off to a fast start, jumping ahead 4-0 after four minutes of play. Kessler scored 51 seconds into the match off a feed from Kinch, and less than a minute later, Kinch made it 2-0.
 
SLU got its first possession but a turnover on a bad pass gave the Yellowjackets the ball which Gorny turned into a three-goal lead. Maddie Bunting had URochester's next draw control and that led to the 4-0 lead after Kessler scorer her second of the early going off another pass from Kinch.
 
The Saints scored the next two goals, both by Cate Rathnam, to halve the lead near the midway point of the quarter.
 
Rogers got the momentum back for the Yellowjackets converting a goal with Rose Bunting assisting. Shortly after, Kessler made it three goals in the first quarter with a tally from the free position.
 
St. Lawrence closed the quarter with back-to-back goals to make the score 6-4 after the high-scoring first.
 
The Saints kept the momentum going into the second, opening that period with three straight scores to jump in front 7-6. Phoebe Spaeth scored for SLU in the 18th minute before Rathnam scored the next two, vaulting the Saints into the lead with 9:09 left in the half.
 
Three minutes later, Kessler found Rogers for a goal to level the score, kickstarting a Yellowjackets four-goal run to end the half. Three of those goals came in the final 1:43 of the period, with Gorny, Kinch and Weeden contributing scores in the surge.
 
At halftime, URochester led 10-7.
 
In the third quarter, the Yellowjackets boosted their lead to four after scoring three goals to SLU's two.
 
Gorny scored with a player advantage four minutes into the fourth, boosting the 'Jackets lead to five, keeping the home squad in control.
 
After a stretch of five minutes with no scoring, St. Lawrence refused to quit, getting a goal from Ratnam to make the score 14-10 with 5:26 remaining.
 
Two minutes later, Caroline Hamilton made it a 3-goal game, scoring with the Saints on a player advantage.
 
URochester secured the ensuing draw, but the Saints Ruthie Haims caused a turnover that eventually led to a Spaeth goal, getting SLU within two, down 14-12 with 2:23 left on the clock.
 
The Saints got the ball on the next draw, but turned over the ball to Rochester. On the clear attempt, the Yellowjackets lost the ball back to the Saints, but Lorelei King swatted the ball out of the stick of Ava O'Rourke, with Ufberg scooping the ground ball to give the 'Jackets a key late game possession.
 
St. Lawrence did get one more possession in the final seconds, but was unable to get a shot off, leading to the Yellowjacket victory.
 
URochester's win over St. Lawrence is just the sixth in 42 all-time meetings with the Saints. Rochester last defeated SLU in 2024 and have only won three times in the last 18 matchups.
 
The Yellowjackets next games overall will be next Friday and Saturday, as URochester takes on Bard and Vassar on the road.