BRIAN F. PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – Redemption comes in all forms on a soccer field. Maybe it's better defending or ball handling. Sometimes, it's a terrifically- angled pass that leads to a gamewinning goal three minutes before overtime would have been played.
 
That's what happened on Wednesday evening at Edwin Fauver Stadium. Santi Ponce Ocampo provided the assist and Colin Canning had the goal. It produced a 1-0 victory for Rochester over Cortland in a game marked by aggressive and well-intentioned challenges from both teams.
 
Rochester missed a grand opportunity to get on the scoreboard in the 71st minute. The Yellowjackets ran after a long ball down the middle and Cortland goalie Braden Melveney charged off of his line. He dove at the ball, in the process colliding with a Rochester attacker. The referee halted play and consulted with the assistant referee. A penalty kick was awarded to Andrew Moglianesi. Melveney was assessed a yellow card for committing the goal that led to the PK. He atoned for the foul by saving the PK and pushing it out for a corner kick.
 
Both teams spent plenty of time trying to push the ball down the field to take advantage of strength and speed. The Red Dragons had several chances using this tactic. The match was seven minutes old when Riley Williams shot from the top of the box to the low left side of goal. UR goalie Santino Lupica-Tondo parried it at the post. He finished with four saves and Melveney had three (including the penalty kick).
 
With just over 10 minutes left in the first half, Jack Coleman rushed after a loose ball but Lupica-Tondo was able to scramble it away. He had a different chance with 20 minutes left in regulation. His shot from the center of the box sailed over the crossbar with him 10 yards off the endline.
 
Cortland's Ian Blugh had a good defensive play in the closing minutes (still 0-0), then nearly broke the deadlock. With 11 minutes left, UR's Rio Kehe fired from right wing but Blugh blocked it. There were four minutes left when Blugh put a header on goal with the visitors pressing for a breakthrough. His header was saved and Jaylin Sykes could not get to the rebound.
 
Rochester counter-attacked after that sequence. Ponce Ocampo had the ball along the right sideline. Fifteen yards over midfield, he angled a pass into the middle where Canning was running unchallenged. He got a step inside the box and drove the ball into the lower left hand corner.