The University of Rochester will open the 2013 men's NCAA Division III soccer playoffs at home this weekend when the Yellowjackets host a four-team regional at Edwin Fauver Stadium.

Rochester will play SUNYIT, champion of the North East Athletic Conference, in Saturday's first game at 5 pm. The second game pairs SUNY Oneonta against Oberlin College. That game will start at 7:30 pm or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Rochester-SUNYIT game. Winners meet Sunday at Fauver Stadium (5 pm start) to determine which team advances to the Sweet 16.

Tickets are priced at $6 for general admission, $3 for students with ID and senior citizens. Gates will open at 4 pm on both days.

Rochester earned a Pool A (automatic qualifier) bid into the playoffs by virtue of winning the University Athletic Association title. The Yellowjackets clinched the crown by winning, 1-0, at Case Western Reserve on Saturday night. Rochester finished with a 5-1-1 UAA record (13-2-2 overall). Rochester earned 16 points in the standings and finished two points ahead of Carnegie Mellon University and Emory University.

UAA Has Three In the Field:
Three UAA teams are in the tournament this year and all three are hosting. Carnegie Mellon is hosting a four-team bracket (CMU vs. Virginia Wesleyan, Montclair State vs. Misericordia) in the same portion of the bracket as Rochester. If both teams advance through this weekend, they would play each other in the Sweet 16 at a site to be determined by the NCAA Men's Soccer Committee.

Brandeis is the other UAA team that is hosting a four-team grouping (Brandeis vs. Johnson & Wales, Rutgers-Newark vs. Roger Williams).

Head-to-head in the UAA this year, Rochester won, 3-2, at Brandeis and tied Carnegie Mellon, 0-0, in double overtime.

Rochester
This is Rochester's 15^th Division III NCAA playoff appearance and its eighth bid in the past nine years. Last year, the Yellowjackets defeated Misericordia on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie through two overtimes. Rochester lost to the regional host, Susquehanna, 2-1, in the second round.

Rochester's goal-scoring is widespread. Jeff Greblick leads the team with eight goals and seven assists for 23 points. Four players have 12 or more points. Sixteen players have scored at least one goal and 21 have one or more points. In goal, Mike Moranz has started 16 games. In 1,342.54, he has allowed 11 goals (0.74 goals-against average) and made 40 saves. He has four solo shutouts and shared four others.

SUNYIT:
SUNYIT is the other Pool A qualifier in Rochester's grouping. The Wildcats carry a 16-1-2 overall record into Saturday's game. They have allowed a paltry seven goals in 19 matches and have 14 shutouts. SUNYIT earned the bid with a shootout victory (4-2) over Morrisville in the NEAC Final.

Diego Montaleza leads the Wildcats in scoring with 15 goals and six assists for 36 points. He has seven gamewinning goals. In goal, Malick Faye has 17 starts in 19 appearances. In 1,727.44, he has allowed six goals and made 76 saves. His goals-against average is 0.31.

SUNY Oneonta:
SUNY Oneonta and Oberlin College both earned Pool C (at-large) bids to the tournament. Oneonta won the regular season title in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). The Red Dragons were 6-0-3 in SUNYAC play, then upended by Plattsburgh in the league tournament semifinals. Oneonta carries a 10-4-5 overall record to Fauver Stadium this weekend.

Dylan Williams leads a balanced offense with 10 goals and three assists for 23 points. In goal, Vincent Pellegrino has played (and started) 12 games. In 1,080:53, he has allowed nine goals (0.75 goals-against average). Daniel DeBottis has played in eight games (six starts). In 610:40, he has allowed five goals (0.74 GAA). Pellegrino has 41 saves, DeBottis has 12.

Oberlin:
The Yeomen of Oberlin College are making their initial NCAA playoff appearance in men's soccer. Oberlin finished third in the North Coast Athletic Conference standings, behind Ohio Wesleyan and Kenyon College. Ohio Wesleyan is the top seed for the entire men's tournament. Kenyon received a Pool C bid.

Oberlin's defense has fashioned 10 shutouts in a 13-3-4 year (5-1-3 in conference). Brandt Rentel has started 17 games in goal. In 1,610:00, he has allowed 14 goals (0.78 goals-against average) with nine solo shutouts and 78 saves. At the other end of the field, John Ingham leads the Yeomen with 15 goals, three assists for 33 points. He has seven gamewinning goals.

In Brief: Three teams earned first round byes in the 61-team field: Rutgers-Camden, Loras College, and Ohio Wesleyan...Thirteen teams are hosting four-team regionals and another three are hosting a first-round matchup with the survivor advancing to play one of the 'bye' teams...Rochester is 2-1-1 against the teams selected for this tournament. The Yellowjackets defeated Lycoming College, 2-0, at Fauver Stadium, and Brandeis, 3-2, in Waltham, Mass. Rochester tied Carnegie Mellon, 0-0, in double OT at Fauver. The Yellowjackets lost to St. Lawrence, 1-0, in Canton in the second week of the season...Rochester, Oneonta and SUNYIT all defeated Cazenovia this season, UR 8-0, Oneonta 10-0 and SUNYIT 2-0...Rochester and Oberlin share a common opponent in Case Western Reserve. The Yeomen beat the Spartans, 2-0, in Cleveland on October 8. Rochester defeated Case, 1-0, last Saturday in Cleveland...UR and Oneonta each played SUNY Geneseo this season, with Oneonta winning 2-1 in double OT and UR topping the Knights 3-0...Rochester has an all-time record of 584 wins, 320 losses, 89 ties. This is the 80^th season of men's soccer. Saturday's game vs. SUNYIT will be the 994^th in program history...The SUNYIT game will be Rochester's 23^rd NCAA playoff game. The Yellowjacket record is seven wins, 11 losses and four ties (all of which were decided on penalty kicks)...Head coach Chris Apple appeared in three NCAA playoffs as a player at Rochester (1989, 1990, 1991). This is Apple's eighth appearance as a coach in the tournament and his 11^th NCAA appearance overall.

Weekend Program