The Hobart men's soccer team used its size and strength to power its way to a 1-0 win over the #14 ranked University of Rochester men's soccer team in a non-league matchup Saturday night.
 
Senior Alex Kittelberger headed home the game's only goal in the 57th minute off a cross from teammate Marco Ronning.  The Statesmen (3-1) played the corner kick in short to Ronning who centered a pass to Kittelberger who out-jumped the UR defense to get a head on it and find the back of the net.  The score was his team leading third of the season.
 
Rochester (4-2) had the first good chance in the game about 13 minutes in when Nick Pastore stole the ball from the Hobart defender and fired a shot right on net.  Hobart goalie Mike Lucas stood tall in making the save to keep the Yellowjackets off the board.
 
In the 26th minute, Hobart's Will Abbott unleashed a hard shot that UR keeper Scott Garfing just got a piece of.  The shot deflected off the senior goalie and rolled off the left post and out of play, keeping the score tied at 0-0.
 
In the second half, Hobart's size played a factor, with its tall defenders overwhelming Rochester's smaller front line, most notably Tyler Niles and Kyle Herod.  The Statesmen's defensive strength held UR without a shot on net until 14 minutes remaining in the game.  Hobart held the advantage in shots on goal 8-4 and corner kicks 8-3 during the game.
 
Rochester finally was able to mount a charge late with great scoring chances from freshman Jeff Fafinski and seniors Max Fan and Andrew Roberts.
 
With just two seconds to play, a long pass from behind midfield hit Pastore in stride streaking towards the Hobart goal and gave UR a chance to tie, but Lucas was there to thwart the opportunity.
 
In the goals, Lucas got the win making four saves while Garfing had seven in the UR net.
 
Rochester next plays in a road contest at Lycoming College on Saturday 9/22.