The University of Rochester men's soccer team has earned an NCAA Division III Tournament at-large berth and continues its season this coming weekend play Johnson & Wales University – Providence in an opening round regional being played at Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts.
 
Rochester's opening round matchup will take place on Saturday November 11th at 1:30 pm, following the regionals first game featuring host Tufts and Bridgewater State, set for an 11 am kickoff. Following the first round, the two winners will meet in the regional final on Sunday afternoon at 1 pm, with a spot in the sectionals round on the line.
 
Overall, the 64-team NCAA Tournament field is comprised of 41 teams from conferences that received automatic berths, with one team earning a Pool B selection and the remaining 22 spots going to Pool C (at-large) institutions. Games in the regional (Nov. 10-12) and sectional round (Nov. 17-19) will be hosted across the country at on-campus sites, with the national semifinals and championship game taking place in Salem, Virginia at Kerr Soccer Stadium on December 1-3.
 
The NCAA appearance is the 22nd overall in Rochester team history, with UR making the national tournament in nine of the last 11 seasons. The Yellowjackets last appearance was 2021, with UR falling in the opening round against Calving University. Rochester's deepest NCAA playoff run was in 2018, with the Yellowjackets made it all the way to the Division III national semifinals.
 
This season, Rochester sports a 9-2-5 record and finished third in the University Athletic Association conference with a 3-2-2 record. The Yellowjackets enter the tournament on a three-match win streak, including posting a 1-0 win over 9th-ranked Emory University last Saturday in the regular season finale.
 
On the pitch, Rochester is led by head coach Chris Apple who is in his 22nd season (23rd year) at the helm of the Yellowjackets. He sports a 258-83-66 record since taking over on the River Campus and has guided the program into the NCAA Tournament 15 times.
 
Rochester's top offensive threat this season is senior Santi Ponce Ocampo who leads the team with seven goals and 14 total points. Sophomore teammate Ashton Prescott is second on the team in scoring with 12 points, scoring five goals and tallying two assists. Two players, sophomore EliJose Araujo (4 G, 1 A) and Kol Bassuk (2 G, 5 A) have nine points each.
 
In goal, senior Santino Lupica-Tondo has been Rochester's starter throughout the season, playing 1420 minutes across 16 games. He sports a 9-2-5 record and a 0.95 goals against average between the pipes. He and the Yellowjacket defense have allowed just 15 goals during the regular season while making a total of 54 saves for a .783 save percentage. He has five shutouts.
 
UR's first round opponent, Johnson & Wales – Providence earn its spot in the NCAA's by virtue of winning the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament title, defeating three opponents via shutout in the conference playoffs. JWU won 2-0 over New England College, 1-0 against University of St. Joseph and won the title with a 2-0 victory over Norwich last Saturday.
 
The Wildcats (14-2-4) have one of the top defenses in Division III men's soccer, ranking fifth in the country in team goals against average at 0.45 this season. They also are fifth in shutout percentage (0.650) and are 19th in Division III in goal differential, outscoring opponents 46-9 during the 2023 season. Head coach David Kulik is in his 11th season (12th year) leading the program and has led the team to five GNAC tournament titles during his tenure.
 
Graduate student Aidan Bagley leads the Wildcats in scoring this season, notching 27 points, coming on 11 goals and 5 assists. Four other teammates have 10 or more points offensively, including Conner Elliott (19 pts, 7 G, 5 A), Carlos Andrade (14 pts, 6 G, 2 A), Jonathan Baker (13 pts, 5 G, 3 A) and Alexander Panes (10 pts, 2 G, 6 A).
 
Between the pipes, Johnson & Wales' keeper is Jacob Friedman who has started all 20 games and accumulated totals of 0.47 goals against average, 45 saves and an .833 save percentage. The graduate student has 11 solo shutouts and combined for two others. He ranks in the top-10 in Division III in shutouts, goalie minutes played and goals against average.
 
The other teams in the regional are host Tufts University (12-3-3) and Bridgewater State (12-2-5). Tufts earned an at-large berth into the tournament after reaching the finals of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament. Bridgewater State clinched its postseason trop with a win over Westfield State in the final of the Massachusetts Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) tournament over the weekend.
 
This weekend's regional tournament will have live video for all three games as well as live online statistics available. For fans traveling to the games, tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens, students and children (ages 3-12), with children 2 and under being admitted free.