PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – The University of Rochester women's soccer team picked up a big regional win on Wednesday evening, defeating 17th-ranked William Smith 1-0 at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
Senior
Eileen Harvey slotted in a 1-timer to the low left corner of the net off a perfect cross from teammate
Natalie Santangelo in the 18th minute to score the lone goal of the game. Harvey's tally was her second of the season, with Santangelo picking up her second assist of the year.
Rochester's win keeps the 'Jackets record unblemished at 7-0, while William Smith falls to 4-3 in 2026. In the all-time series between the perennial Division III powers, UR inches closer to the Herons, trailing 20-26-10. The victory is URochester's first over William Smith since the 2019 season.
In the early going, William Smith maintained a good chunk of possession, mostly coming in the Rochester half of the field, and earned the game's opening corner kick in the seventh minute.
URochester defense stood tall over that stretch though, not allowing the Herons a shot, eventually transitioning to the offensive zone at the other end of the field.
Santangelo got the first shot on target for the Yellowjackets, in the 10th minute, firing a long shot from the right wing that was easily grabbed by William Smith keeper Antonia Goerke.
Five minutes later,
Sydney Holmes had a point-blank change at the edge of the six after a long pass came in over the top of the defense, but Goerke came off her line and stopped the shot for another save.
At the 17-minute mark,
Claudia Ferreira took a long shot from 26 yards out that caught Goerke backpedaling into her own net, but the Heron keeper was able to keep the ball out of the net and drop it back in the field of play.
UR then broke through at 17:27 of the opening half when Santangelo out ran the William Smith defense along the right wing. The junior forward then sent a cross into the box where it was intentionally whiffed by
Delia McMullen, freezing two defenders on her.
Harvey was the beneficiary, sitting left open at the penalty spot where she 1-timed the shot perfectly into the low left corner of the net.
The Yellowjacket offensive pressure continued to mount over the next few minutes.
Maya Bravo had a pair of shots in the 20th and 21st minute, but Goerke came up with two saves. The second was a terrific diving stop by the William Smith keeper, lunging to her right to keep a low, skidding 22-yard shot out of the net.
Overall in the opening half, Rochester combined to outshoot the Herons 12-0, but were only up by the 1-goal margin.
Early in the second half, the Herons finally got their first shot, with Aleena Solano intercepting a back pass by the Yellowjackets in the midfield. From just outside the box, Solano ripped a hard shot that sailed high of the cage.
Later on, Solano had two solid back-to-back chances in the 65th minute for William Smith. The first was a right wing blast that ricocheted off the post and then deflected off a defender for a corner.
On the ensuing corner kick, Solano took charge and curled the direct corner on target, but
Eleni McGuire battled through a UR defender and William Smith forward at the near post, punching away the ball for her only save of the contest.
Solano finished with a team-high five shots for the Herons, matching UR's Santangelo for the game-high.
A long pass up in the 69th minute towards Solano saw the Heron striker and UR center back
Baila Kessler in a 1-on-1 foot race, with Kessler winning the battle, eventually turning the ball back over to the Yellowjackets on a goal kick.
William Smith's final chance of the game came in the 79th minute off the foot of Brynn Schneider after a cross from Solano along the left side, but Schneider's settling of the pass took too long and allowed the Yellowjacket defense to get back into position and block the shot away.
UR's scoring opportunities in the second half were numerous as well, with the Yellowjackets earning eight shot attempts, but most went wide, as Goerke was forced to just make two saves over the final 45 minutes.
Overall in the game, the Yellowjackets led 20-6 in shots and 9-1 in shots on goal. The Herons held the advantage in corners 5-3.
Besides Santangelo's five shots, McMullen finished with four while Ferreira, Bravo and
Ava Schmidt each finished with three for the 'Jackets.
The Yellowjackets continue their homestand on Saturday afternoon, playing host to Misericordia University at 3 pm.
