FAUVER STADIUM-The University of Rochester used back-to-back goals to rally and beat SUNY Fredonia 2-1 in Flower City action Saturday night. The win gave UR the crown in the four team classic style tournament.

Early on the Yellowjackets (2-0) displayed exceptional speed to maintain possession of the ball and really keep the momentum in their favor. Rochester's Jacob Findlay (Fabius, NY/Fabius-Pompey) provided the first good scoring chance of the game by centering a ball from the right wing, but the Blue Devils goalkeeper Bobby McGinnis fisted it out before two charging Rochester players could get to it.

In the 16th minute, UR's Jakob Seidlitz (Vienna, VA/Georgetown Day) had a great chance to put the Yellowjackets on the board when the ball came back to him for a hard shot from the top of the box, but McGinnis had a clear view and was able to handle it easily.

Fredonia (1-1) had their best chance of the first half 29 minutes in when Luke Tyluki passed a beautiful cross right to teammate Ryan Smith who ended up just missing the net high.

Rochester sophomore midfielder Max Fan (Colchester, CT/Loomis Chaffee) got into the action in the 35th minute when he fired a shot at the net after a long throw in bounced around and came right to him, but McGinnis was once again on the ball and made the save.

Late in the first half, the Yellowjackets had two more great chances to get on the board, but both were foiled by the pesky McGinnis. First, Seidlitz curved a corner kick in from the right side that was grabbed, and less than a minute later a bouncing ball found J.C. Billone's (Honeoye Falls, NY/McQuaid) foot for a attempted floater that he tried to put above the goalie. Neither shot got by McGinnis who made three total saves in a first half that ended in a 0-0 tie.

The Blue Devils got off to a quick start in the second half with a couple of offensive attacks ending with good scoring chances, the best being a shot by Cory Paine firing a shot at net. UR goalkeeper Mike Moranz (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) made a spectacular diving save which really got the Rochester crowd energized.

The Yellowjackets couldn't capitalize from the crowd support and only fired off a couple of weak shots that were easily handled by McGinnis in the next few minutes.

Eight minutes into the second half, Fredonia caught a break with forward Cory Paine sending in a nice ball from the right wing which was deflected off a Rochester defender's body right to a waiting Tylutki who calmly headed the ball into the net, giving the Devils a 1-0 lead.

The goal seemed to really put some fire underneath the UR players and they immediately started pressuring the Fredonia defense. In the 56th minute, freshman Jarvis D'Souza (Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty) set up classmate Alex Wanger (Penfield, NY/Penfield) on a outstanding pass down the right sideline that went over 40 yards right to the foot of the streaking forward. Wenger got behind the Blue Devils and was then taken down in the box setting up a penalty kick. Seidlitz coolly stepped up to the ball and fired it into the net to tie the score at 1-1.

The Yellowjackets didn't waste any time adding another to the score sheet and once again it was that freshman D'Souza in the middle of things. D'Souza scored his first goal of the year on a shot he fired off the top of his foot that sailed down and away from the goaltender, just sneaking in to the bottom right corner of the net and giving his team a 2-1 lead. His goal was set up on a cross-field pass by defender Douglas Clift (Jericho, VT/Mt. Mansfield Union) who was pinching up in the deep left corner of the field.

Rochester nearly made it 3-1 five minutes after that when Swanger found a loose ball and then took it right at the Fredonia goalie McGinnis. The two ended up crashing into one another with the ball remaining out of the goal. One minute later, almost the identical situation took place again, this time Max Eberhardt (Pittsford, NY/McQuaid) got in the open field and charged right at the Blue Devil net minder. Once again McGinnis sacrificed his body and kept his team in the game even if it meant getting hurt. He made the save when Eberhardt crashed into him, but stayed down for a few minutes after the collision, eventually shaking it off and remained in the game.

In the 67th minute soon after, a Fredonia free kick by Tyler Williams was flown in towards the goal and neatly deflected by a Blue Devil header in the front of the net, but Moranz stuck with it and preserved the lead for the Yellowjackets.

Rochester had a few more good chances in the game, specifically freshman Mark Lawlor and sophomore J.C. Billone, but none could sneak in to the net to give UR some breathing room.

Fredonia got their last good chance of the game off another Williams free kick in the 82nd minute of the game, his floating shot tried to sneak into the top of the net, but Moranz held his ground and snatched the ball out of the air.


Tournament Awards:
1st Place team: University of Rochester Yellowjackets
MVP: Rochester D Tom Sorrentino
Top Offensive Player: Fredonia F Cory Paine
Top Defensive Player: Rochester D/M Jakob Seidlitz

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