UTICA, NY – The University of Rochester lacrosse team poured in nine goals in each half, leading to an 18-8 victory over Utica University on Tuesday afternoon at Charles Gaetano Stadium.
 
Rochester's win moves the Yellowjackets to 9-4 overall on the season, while the host Pioneers fall to 7-5. 2026 is the third season in the last four in which UR has reached nine victories on the season.
 
Seven different players scored for the 'Jackets, led by junior Anna Rogers and senior Alyssa Gorny. Rogers had nine points, ending with six goals and three assists, while Gorny found the net five times, adding two helpers on the day.
 
Allison Weiden added four points, coming on one goal and three assists, while Jenna Kessler and Ella Lassen each scored twice.
 
URochester's defense also was strong on the afternoon, causing 15 turnovers, the second-most in a game this season. Six players paced the 'Jackets with two caused turnovers, Lassen, Lorelei King, Gorny, Maddie Bunting, Rogers and Weiden.
 
In goal, Isla Ablin had seven saves in 55 minutes played, while Madeline Merriman finished off the final five minutes of the contest. Both players finished with a .500 save percentage, with Ablin surrendering seven goals, while Merriman allowed one.
 
Rogers and Gorny got the scoring started for the visitors by scoring less than a minute apart in the games opening two minutes.
 
After Jessica Marciano got the Pioneers on the board, UR rattled off three straight goals to boost its lead to 5-1 after the opening period. Rogers and Gorny each tallied their second score of the game, while Kessler was the beneficiary of a player advantage to notch her first goal of the contest.
 
Early in the second period, a lightning strike forced a 49-minute delay.
 
The delay did not hinder the Yellowjackets momentum after the restart, as Sara Mendelson found the back of the net with UR a player down, building on the advantage.
 
Both teams traded three goals each way the rest of the first half, with the Yellowjackets heading to intermission with a 9-3 lead.
 
Utica got a goal from Alyssa Specchio to start the third period, cutting the deficit to four, at 9-5, but Rochester responded by scoring five straight to regain control in a big way.
 
Rogers and Weiden each scored with UR a player down to start the run, with Lassen tallying her second marker of the game to make it a 12-5 game. Rogers tacked on two more, her 42nd and 43rd of the season.
 
Bella Kolb scored for Utica before Rogers got her final goal of the game with just 22 ticks left in the third quarter.
 
In the fourth, Kessler made it a 10-goal differential with a player-up goal ninety seconds in. Gorny tacked on another, her fifth of the game to make it 17-6.
 
Over the final nine minutes, Utica scored two, with Rose Bunting completing the scoring or the 'Jackets, reaching the final score of 18-8.
 
URochester ended with a 39-22 lead in shots and also won the turnover margin, committing just 12 to Utica's 21 giveaways. Both teams missed four clear attempts, with Utica going 14-for-18, while Rochester was 13-for-17.
 
The Yellowjackets scooped up 23 ground balls and secured 16 draw controls. Mendelson led URochester with five draws, while both Bunting's finished with three each. In the ground ball category, five players finished with a team-high three.
 
After Tuesday, Rochester has a busy week, with the Yellowjackets closing out its regular season home schedule this weekend, hosting Skidmore on Friday and Rensselaer on Saturday.