ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Top seed University of Rochester took a 2-0 lead, the withstood a furious second-half Skidmore comeback to win its first Liberty League Championship, 3-2 Saturday afternoon.
 
The Thoroughbreds are 14-7 and will await a possible NCAA Tournament at-large bid with the field is announced Monday morning. The Yellowjackets will take a 10-game win streak into the NCAA Championship.

Rochester carried the play over the opening 35 minutes, combining to outshoot Skidmore 13-1 while also taking a whopping 11 corners, eventually heading into the break with a 2-0 lead.

The first goal came on a penalty stroke in the 15^th minute. Colleen Maillie cashed in for a 1-0 Rochester lead.

Two minutes later, UR's 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 UR keeper Gabrielle Cantley.  Cantley came out to challenge Hyman and stacked her pads to make the save on a charging Hyman.

The lead expanded to 2-0 in favor of the home Yellowjackets at 27:49 when co-captain Nancy Bansbach slapped in a rebound. 

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 on a very similar play to the one she had in the first half.  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 excellent 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, with the follow-up attemept saved 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.

Overall in the game, Cantley made three saves in her picking up her eighth win of the season in goal.

A total of nine members 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 with William Smith's Sierramarie Fitzgerald and Vassar's Emily Poehlein also being chosen.