WALTHAM, MA – Despite striking first just under 15 minutes into the contest, University of Rochester men's soccer fell to the Brandeis University Judges, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at Gordon Field, dropping their second-straight conference match to fall to 8-4-3 (2-2-1 UAA) on the year, while the Judges moved to 7-5-2 (3-2 UAA) with the win.
 
After an early strike off a corner from Johnny Makula was saved by Quintin Wrabley, Santino Lupica-Tondo matched Wrabley's early save with one of his own on the other end, keeping a pair of shots by Maddox Yu, the first of which went wide, out of the back of the net.
 
Then in the 15th minute, Rochester took the lead, scoring off a throw-in by Mikey Burke. Burke's long throw-in was headed by EliJose Araujo, and flicked into the back of the net by Milos Bisenic to give Rochester a 1-0 lead.
 
The Yellowjackets' lead wouldn't last long though, as just over eight minutes later, after Wrabley saved another attempt from Araujo, the Judges took things the other way and scored the equalizer.
 
Yu this time beat Lupica-Tondo, catching the keeper off his line with a long-distance strike just out of the graduate student's reach to level the score at one-goal apiece.
 
Lupica-Tondo would again save a shot from Yu just minutes later, keeping the game tied at one, before the Judges again broke through just shy of the 30-minute mark of the first.
 
A long ball forward from Nico Beninda found Elan Romo, who settled and ripped another long-distance strike, curling a 25-yard shot over a leaping Lupica-Tondo and into the back of the net to give the Judges a 2-1 lead.
 
Brandeis would add one more off a corner kick in the 38th minute, scoring three unanswered to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead in the span of a little under 15 minutes. On the Judges' corner. Kenshin Murakawa found Andres Gonzalez, whose header just inside the left post snuck past the UR defense to make it a 3-1 Brandeis lead.
 
Rochester, after being outshot 11-7 in the first half despite the early goal, headed into the locker room down two goals but pushed the pace early looking to pull within a score.  
 
The Yellowjackets earned a trio of corner kicks in the first five minutes of the second half and notched another after Makula had his 60th-minute shot blocked.
 
Then after Lupica-Tondo stopped Beninda's 63rd-minute attempt on the other end, Araujo beat his man and was taken down inside the box, giving Rochester a penalty kick and a chance to pull within a score. Alessio Cristanetti-Walker sank the penalty kick to make it just a one-goal lead for the Judges, putting Rochester right back into the contest.
 
But the defenses would reign supreme in the second half, as the two sides combined for just 10 total shots in the second half, five each for Brandeis and UR, after taking 18 in the first half.
 
The Yellowjackets would get another shot on goal the rest of the way, sending three shots wide over the final 20 minutes of play.
 
Pasquale Carusone nearly tied it in the 75th minute, but his shot off another throw-in hit off the left post, while Makula missed both wide left and wide right in the final 10 minutes as the Judges held on late for the 3-2 victory.
 
Makula led UR with five shots, one of which was on goal, while Bisenic and Cristanetti-Walker tallied UR's two goals, with Araujo and Burke notching assists.
 
In goal, Lupica-Tondo played all 90 minutes and allowed three goals, making four saves.
 
The Yellowjackets now return home for their final home contest of the season, hosting Washington University in St. Louis on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 1:30 p.m. at Edwin Fauver Stadium.