PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – The University of Rochester men's soccer defeated the University of Mount Union Purple Raiders, 2-0, on Sunday in an intense, chippy contest in their home opener at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
 
The Yellowjackets got going with a couple of early corners, but UR's first chance of the afternoon off Santi Ponce Ocampo's foot went wide.
 
Mount Union then got their first shot of the match off the foot of Zak Peterjohn, before a foul in the box by the Purple Raiders' Tucker Ramirez gave UR a chance to take an early lead.
 
Ponce Ocampo buried the penalty kick past the reach of Michael Contreras in the lower-left corner of the goal, giving Rochester a 1-0 just 13:19 into the first half.
 
Ramirez then picked up the first of nine yellows in the match, as the intensity of the match increased as the game went on.
 
Ponce Ocampo had another opportunity in the 22nd minute, but his shot went wide, and just minutes later forced Contreras to make another save to keep UR from extending their lead.
 
But in the 30th minute, Kol Bassuk drew a red card, and the Yellowjackets were forced to play with 10 men for the rest of the match.
 
Rochester's defense though would prove to be up to the task. Santino Lupica-Tondo and co. held Mount Union to just five shots in the first half, only one of which was on goal, and the Yellowjackets took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
 
Neither team could get much going to start the second half, with five more yellows in the first 22 minutes.
 
But after Colin Canning's first shot off a free kick was blocked, the Purple Raider defense wasn't able to fully clear the ball, and Aimon Ibssa fired a beauty of a pass from near midfield, and Canning buried the ball past the goalie and into the back of the net to give UR a 2-0 lead with just under 23 minutes to play.
 
From there, the Yellowjackets settled in on defense, holding Mount Union to just one shot on goal in the second half.
 
Lupica-Tondo made one of his two saves in the 80th minute on Carter Hancock's shot, and UR's defense held off the Purple Raiders the rest of the way to finish off the 2-0 victory.
 
With the win, UR moves to 2-0 on the year, while Mount Union falls to 1-1.
 
Ponce Ocampo led Rochester with four shots and a goal, while Canning tallied two shots and his goal.

In goal for UR,  Lupica-Tondo played all 90 minutes and made two saves.
 
The Yellowjackets next head to Keuka Park, N.Y. for a Saturday matinee against the Keuka College Wolves on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 3 p.m.