Rochester received its first-ever berth into the NCAA Division III field hockey playoffs and will host a first round game on Wednesday at 2 pm. The Yellowjackets will face Rowan University of the New Jersey State Athletic Conference.

The Liberty League received three bids to the 2012 championships, including two of the six available Pool C (at-large) bids. William Smith won the Pool A automatic berth by winning the Liberty League championship. The Herons defeated the Yellowjackets, 3-1, in Saturday’s title game. The other Pool C bid from the league went to Skidmore College. Rochester defeated Skidmore, 3-2, in overtime in the semifinals of the Liberty League playoffs last Thursday at Edwin Fauver Stadium.

The first round match between Rochester and Rowan will be played at Fauver Stadium at 2 pm. It is one of eight first-round matches scheduled for that day. The NCAA took 24 teams into its 2012 championship field. Seventeen teams received Pool A bids. Christopher Newport University earned the sole Pool B bid. Six squads received the Pool C invitations.

Tickets are priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students with ID. They can be purchased at Fauver Stadium beginning one hour before the game begins.

Rowan lost in the NJAC playoffs to Montclair State University. The Profs were 15-6. Rochester was 16-5 this year, setting a single-season record for victories. The winner of the Rochester-Rowan game advances to play Salisbury University in a four-team regional on Saturday at Salisbury. The other game in that regional matches second-seeded Montclair against the winner of the Christopher Newport-Gwynedd Mercy match (played Wednesday at Christopher Newport).

Winners of the four regionals will compete in the 2012 Final Four at William Smith College on November 17-18. The four regional hosts this year are Salisbury, third-seeded Mary Washington, fourth-seeded William Smith, and top-seeded Middlebury College.

Skidmore opens at home against Mass-Dartmouth on Wednesday. The winner advances to Middlebury to play the top-seeded Panthers.

Rochester had seven players selected for the All-Liberty League team this year. Freshman forward Michelle Relin was named the Liberty League Rookie of the Year. Head coach Wendy Andreatta and assistants Ashley Smeltzer and Alexis Vangellow were named the Coaching Staff of the Year. Rochester finished in a three-way tie for second place in the league with Skidmore and RPI.

Yellowjacket goaltender Madison Wagner ranked third in the NCAA Division III statistics in save percentage and 10^th in goals-against average. She has allowed 21 goals this year (1.12 GAA), made 114 saves, and has a save percentage of .844.

The top scorers are senior Shelby Hall and freshman Relin, both with 17 goals and eight assists for 42 points. Junior Katie Flaschner has 10 goals and 5 assists for 25 points.

Rowan is making its 18^th appearance in the national tournament, its first since 2009. The Profs won the 2002 national championship with a perfect 21-0 record. Rowan reached the semifinals in 1998 and 2000 and made six other appearances in the quarterfinals: 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008.

Nine different players have scored gamewinning goals for Rowan. Sophomores Jenna O’Sullivan and Karlee Henderson have three apiece. Sophomore Kellie Campbell tops the scoring chart with 18 goals, three assists for 39 points. Senior Erin Bernat is second in scoring with seven goals and six assists for 20 points. Junior Amy McKeever is third in scoring (6-6-18) and Henderson is fourth (6-4-16).

In goal, senior Jen Goldberg has a 1.40 GAA with 19 goals allowed, 62 saves, and a .765 save percentage. Junior Steph Colombo has a 2.41 GAA with 18 goals allowed, 57 saves, and a .760 save percentage.

Article and photos courtesy of Rochester Athletics. Read more about the field hockey team here.

He finished 11 for 17 for 151 yards and the two scores. He ran 15 times for a net of 72 yards which included four sacks. Rochester finished with 306 yards in offense – 155 rushing (Chris Lebano rushed 24 times for 79 yards) and 151 in the air.

Thiel produced 229 yards in offense. The Tomcats rushed for 101 yards (Taylor Fink had 60 yards on 15 carries) and passed for 128. Andrew Smith hit 17 of 31 passes. He was sacked twice and intercepted once – by Rochester’s Cole Valko on the final Thiel drive in the last minute.

Kennedy threw a screen pass to Lebano that turned into a 19-yard touchdown with 9:01 left in the first quarter. That climaxed an 11-play, 69-yard drive which started the game. After a three-and-out by Thiel, he drove the Yellowjackets 63 yards in eight plays, finishing with a 50-yard strike to Garrett Kesel who got behind the Thiel defense for the score.

Alex Antonucci kicked both PATs for Rochester. He made a 40-yard field goal with 2:34 left in the game to clinch the victory.

Down 14-0 at halftime, Thiel reorganized and cut the deficit in half midway through the third quarter. The Tomcats converted two third downs and one fourth down in a 13-play, 61-yard drive to get within 14-7. Fink plunged one yard on 4^th-and-1 from the Rochester 28 to keep the drive going. Three plays later. Smith found Berend Grube inside the one-yard line for an 18-yard gain. Fink scored on the next play and Cody McClelland’s PAT made it 14-7 with 3:48 left in the quarter.

Rochester’s defense held midway through the fourth to preserve the win. The Tomcats drove from their own 25 to the Rochester 26 where Smith’s pass for Grube on 4^th-and-1 fell incomplete.

Kennedy drove Rochester 51 yards in 11 plays, eating up 4:24 on the clock. Antonucci kicked his 40-yard field goal on 4^th-and-7.

Defensively, Jordan Honjiyo and Zach Cicero led Rochester with 10 tackles. Brendan Pidgeon had nine stops, one sack one forced fumble, and two pass breakups. Shawn Burke had eight tackles and one sack.

Thiel’s leader was Dustin Baker with nine tackles, including 2.5 tackles behind the line. Jack Sindlinger and Terry Gensel had six tackles apiece.

Notes: It was Kennedy’s second career start. He directed Rochester to a 16-13 road win at St. Lawrence last year…. Rochester won its home opener for the first time since the 2001 season.

Article and photo courtesy of the University of Rochester Athletics Department. For more sports news, visit http://www.uofrathletics.com/index.aspx.