CORTLAND, NY – The University of Rochester men's soccer team opened the 2022 season with a 3-1 road victory over #10 SUNY Cortland on Thursday afternoon at Cortland's Holloway Field.
The win is the third in the last four meetings for the Yellowjackets (1-0) against the Red Dragons, with UR earning a 1-0 victory exactly one year ago at Fauver Stadium.
Rochester got two goals from senior
Tony Hypsher and junior
Othman Belhseine scored the game winner, with all three goals coming in the second half. Four players tallied single assists in the game for UR, with
Santi Ponce Ocampo,
Charlie Shanks,
Avi Lamba and Belhseine notching helpers.
In goal,
Santino Lupica-Tondo made seven saves for the Yellowjackets.
The teams battled to a scoreless first half. Cortland's Jack Coleman provided the first scoring chance of the contest in the 15th minute, weaving around UR's defense, but he saw his shot from the right wing get blocked away.
A few minutes later, Cortland applied heavy pressure, earning three straight corner kicks in the 17th minute. The Yellowjacket defense withstood the assault, keeping the Red Dragons off the board.
At 28:20, Rochester looked to take the 1-0 lead when Hypsher found the back of the net on a cross from Ponce Ocampo, but the UR forward was ruled just offside and the tally was waved off.
Three minutes later, Lupica-Tonda made a terrific save diving to his right, denying AJ Ali a goal at the left post.
Rochester's last good chance of the opening half came on a flick header from
Colin Canning, but Cortland keeper Braden Meveney made the save, sending the teams to intermission tied at 0-0.
Seven and a half minutes into the second half, Rochester's Belhsine tallied the opening goal of the contest. Belhsine deposited his shot to the upper corner of the net after a strong cross from deep in the right corner by Shanks.
Hypsher made it 2-0 less than two minutes later on a goal where Rochester displayed some pretty passing. Lamba dribbled in the left corner and centered a ball to Belhseine who flicked a back heel pass to an open Hypsher. The UR senior tallied his first of the game, cracking a low shot into the right corner.
In the 61st minute, Hypsher recorded his second of the day juking a defender deep in the Cortland zone. Meveney got his hands on the shot, but the ball had enough momentum to trickle into the net, giving Rochester a 3-0 lead.
With 15 minutes to go in the contest, Cortland avoided the shutout with a goal from Marco Cottone, one-timing in a shot off a long throw in by Riley Williams.
The Yellowjackets are back in action on Sunday when they host the University of Mount Union at 4 pm at Fauver Stadium in the Prince Athletic Complex.
