CORTLAND, N.Y. - Four different players scored goals as the nationally ninth-ranked Cortland field hockey team broke a 1-1 tie with the game's final three goals and defeated Rochester, 4-1, Thursday night in the season-opening game for both teams.

Senior Christine McCabe (Greene), sophomore Kristin McGurl (Poughkeepsie/Arlington) and freshmen Sara Woodward (Pine Plains) and Danielle Groneman (East Islip) each tallied a goal with senior Brenda Semit (Holland Patent) and freshman Liz DeWaters (Lockport/Royalton-Hartland) collecting one assist apiece for the Red Dragons. Junior Ashley Hughes (Selden/Comsewogue) made three saves in her first-ever start in goal. Hughes was a starting back as a sophomore.

For the Yellowjackets, senior Christi Bottcher (Lehighton, PA) scored a goal, and senior Tara Gelb (Baltimore, MD/The Park School) collected an assist. Senior goalie Danielle Pearson (Ilion) stopped 10 shots, while sophomore Darragh Kerr (Williamsville/Williamsville South) and freshman Sarah Dixon (Fairport) each registered a defensive save.

Woodward put the Red Dragons on the scoreboard nine minutes, two seconds into the game with her first collegiate goal on a rebound in front. Rochester pulled even when Bottcher scored on a long blast from the top of the arc that deflected off a Cortland defender just four and a half minutes later. Cortland took the lead for good at 21:58 of the opening half when Groneman deflected a pass from DeWaters for her first collegiate score.

In the second half, McCabe ripped a long shot from just inside the arc inside the left post at 49:01 off a penalty corner, and McGurl completed the scoring as she knocked in a rebound at 53:28. Dixon denied Woodward a second goal with just under 12 minutes remaining, and a few minutes later, Kerr stopped Semit's shot to keep the score at 4-1.

Cortland outshot Rochester, 23-5, and held an 11-8 advantage in penalty corners.

Cortland 4, Rochester 1

Scoring (Goals-Assists)
Rochester: Christi Bottcher 1-0, Tara Gelb 0-1
Cortland: Sara Woodward 1-0, Danielle Groneman 1-0, Christine McCabe 1-0, Kristin McGurl 1-0, Liz DeWaters 0-1, Brenda Semit 0-1

Halftime: Cortland 2, Rochester 1
Shots: Cortland 23, Rochester 5
Penalty Corners: Cortland 11, Rochester 8
Saves: Danielle Pearson (Rochester) 10 (4 GA in 70:00); Ashley Hughes (Cortland) 3 (1 GA in 70:00)

Record after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 1-0 (ranked 9th in Div. III); Rochester (Yellowjackets) 0-1