NEW YORK – NYU kept its hold atop the University Athletic Association men's soccer standings by posting a 2-0 victory over the University of Rochester at Manhattan College on Friday afternoon. The game was 1-0 for the longest time. The Violets scored a second goal with a breakaway scored by Talal Said as time expired.
 
Rochester had a three-match winning streak snapped with the loss. The Yellowjackets posted shutout wins over Carnegie Mellon, Case Western Reserve, and Houghton College before NYU's victory on Friday. UR is 8-3-3 overall, 2-3 in the UAA. The Yellowjackets will play at Brandeis on Sunday, then will host Emory on November 6 on Senior Day. Rochester is ranked #22 in the media poll and #25 in the coaches' poll.
 
NYU is 10-3-1 overall, 4-1-0 in the UAA. The Violets are ranked #14 in the media poll and #15 in the coaches' poll.
 
Both teams entered the match ranked #2 in their region by the NCAA Division III men's soccer committee. Rochester is in Region III, NYU is in Region IV.
 
The game showcased two squads deserving of their rankings. The goalkeepers – Santino Lupica-Tondo of Rochester and Luca Mancuso of NYU – were superb. They challenged shooters, they came off the line to snag crosses, and they made saves when required. The match was in the 10^th minute when Lupica-Tondo made a point-blank save on a shot by NYU's Arkan Tahsildaroglu.
 
In the 15^th minute, NYU took the lead. Nathan Bennett collected a pass on right wing, 30 yards off the endline. He turned and drove a high ball into the penalty area parallel to the far post. Oliver Keblan headed it just inside the post, beating Lupica-Tondo to the short side. Bennett was denied by Lupica-Tondo five minutes later when the UR goalkeeper made a diving save at the low right post on Bennett's free kick from 23 yards away.
 
Tejan Borchers dove and headed a shot just wide of the post from eight yards out early in the second half. Three minutes later, Charlie Shanks swept down right wing and crossed the ball into the center of the box. Mancuso reacted quickly, diving out to make the save with blue shirts lurking behind him.
 
Bennett angled into the penalty area on the right side and put a hard cross through the middle of the box. Lupica-Tondo dove on it as an NYU attacker rushed the back post. Tahsildaroglu created two dangerous situations for the Rochester defense later in the half. With eight minutes elapsed in the second half, he hit a dipping shot from left wing that was pushed out for a corner kick. There were 20 minutes left in the match when he charged again. He made a long run down the left side – his prime territory – and veered right. He shot with a teammate running in support on the outside. Lupica-Tondo saved low and covered up.
 
The second goal came on a breakaway. In the final minute, Rochester had a free kick from 10 yards over midfield. Everybody – including the goalkeeper – flooded the area. NYU broke up the free kick and Lupica-Tondo raced back towards his goal. The Violet defense got the ball onto the left touchline and hit a pass into the middle with Halal running free. He kept going, with no defenders near him. In the last four seconds, rather than push the ball wide waiting the final horn, he ran straight in and slid it inside the right post as the horn sounded to end the match.