ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The University of Rochester field hockey team claimed its first ever Liberty League title with a 3-2 victory over Skidmore College on Saturday afternoon at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
The victory secures Rochester with the Liberty League's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament and avenges the Yellowjackets loss to Skidmore in the 2016 Liberty League title game. The Yellowjackets have won ten straight games and are now 17-3 on the season. They completed a perfect run through the Liberty League this year, going a total of 9-0 in conference play this year.
"This was one of the teams' goals in the preseason [to win a league title]," said UR head coach
Wendy Andreatta, "and they made it come true. I am so proud of this group."
With the loss, the Thoroughbreds drop to 14-7 and they will await their fate for a potential NCAA at-large bid on Sunday evening.
Rochester dominated the opening 35 minutes, combining to outshoot Skidmore 13-1 while also taking 11 corners, eventually heading into the break with the 2-0 lead.
UR's captains, Olivia Denny, Kiran Sundaram
and Nancy Bansbach with the championship plaque.
In the 15th minute, Rochester earned a penalty corner where Maya Haigis took a shot, which hit a foot of a Skidmore defender directly in front of the cage. Due to the prevention of a direct goal, Rochester was awarded a penalty stroke which sophomore Colleen Maillie cashed in for a 1-0 lead.
Two minutes later, Jennifer Lee had an excellent chance from four yards out, but Skidmore goalkeeper Elizabeth Coughlin was there to make the point blank save, keeping it a one-goal game.
Skidmore's lone shot of the opening period came courtesy of leading scorer Gabby Hyman in the 21st minute. Hyman gained possession around midfield and made a long run up the right sideline before cutting in on a breakaway on Rochester keeper Gabrielle Cantley. Cantley came out to challenge Hyman and stacked her pads to make the save.
The lead expanded to 2-0 in favor of the Yellowjackets at 27:49 when co-captain Nancy Bansbach slapped in a rebound. The play started from a penalty corner, eventually made its way deep inside the circle where Emma Schlechter took a shot which hit off the left post. Bansbach was in the right place, slapping in the rebound for the two-goal lead heading into halftime.
Early in the second half, the Yellowjackets kept up the offensive pressure on a nice give-and-go by Bansbach and Jennifer Lee, but Coughlin made another nice stop, one of six on the day.
The Thoroughbreds then responded with a goal at 38:34 from Hyman. After a long run up the right side, Hyman this time slowed as she approached the goal and lifted a shot in the air, over Cantley and into the cage for a goal, trimming the Yellowjacket lead to one.
Just two minutes later, Rochester would regain its two-goal lead, when Bansbach tapped in her second score of the game just inside the right post, coming off a cross pass from inside the circle from teammate Claire Dickerson.
The Thoroughbreds earned their first penalty corner of the game in the 55th minute and that resulted in two chances off the stick of Hyman, in close. The first shot, a lifted ball, was swatted out of the air by Maillie for a defensive save and the follow-up attempt being stoned by Cantley.
On the ensuing corner, Skidmore's final one of the day, the Throroughbreds broke through to again trim the lead to one. Kayla Rose took the corner and the ball found its way around the circle to Mary Beth Zahnleuter whose shot from the left wing got deflected up into the air where Sarah Winters redirected the shot into the cage.
"Skidmore is a really skilled team and they fought through adversity today, responding well after halftime to make it a great game," explained Andreatta.
After the second Skidmore goal, Andreatta used a time out to settle her squad, and it seemed to work as the Yellowjacket defense held the Thoroughbreds without a shot over the final 15 minutes, including the last three minutes and change when Skidmore pulled their goalkeeper for an extra attacker.
Cantley made three saves in the victory, picking up her eighth win of the season in goal.
The Saturday victory was the second by Rochester over the Thoroughbreds this season, with the Yellowjackets emerging victorius from a thrilling shootout victory on October 20th. Rochester would win 3-2 in the shootout to eventually clinch the conference regular season crown and host the championship game for the first time.
A total of nine players from the championship game were selected to the conference All-Tournament team with Maillie, Bansbach, Haigis, Olivia Denny and Courtney Dunham representing Rochester. Skidmore's Coughlin, Kayla Rose, Miranda Davenport and Marissa Folts were selected as well as William Smith's Sierramarie Fitzgerald and Vassar's Emily Poehlein.
When looking back at the game and the season thus far Andreatta reflected, "During our early morning practices, our team often toils in the darkness, and now for them to be rewarded in the spotlight with a Liberty League title is just a fantastic feeling."
Rochester will now play in its third straight NCAA Division III Tournament with the field being released on NCAA.com on Sunday evening.