PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – University of Rochester men's soccer battled the University of Chicago Maroons to a scoreless draw to open University Athletic Association (UAA) conference play on Saturday evening at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
 
The 'Jackets and Maroons combined for 26 shots, with UR taking 10, but sent just seven on goal over the course of the contest, as the two sides each took home a result from their conference opener.
 
An early corner kick less than 30 seconds in gave the Yellowjackets their first shot attempt of the night, but the ball sailed wide left off the foot of Milos Bisenic. Then just past the 10-minute mark of the first, Chicago's Kai Walsh missed the Maroons' first attempt to the left of goal.
 
Three minutes later though, Edward Wu volleyed a rocket at Santino Lupica-Tondo, but UR's goalkeeper made the leaping save to keep the Maroons off the scoreboard. Lupica-Tondo then made another save on Jack Leuker's attempt off the ensuing corner, before the Yellowjackets took things the other way.
 
In the 19th minute, the 'Jackets nearly put the ball in the back of the net, as Jeremiah Anandarajah had a look on goal off a throw-in the Maroons couldn't clear, but his attempt went just wide of the mark for a goal kick.
 
The Yellowjackets had another good look the in 24th minute, as Johnny Makula found Alessio Cristanetti-Walker with a cross out front of the goal, but the sophomore's attempt was stopped by Leuker, and cleared away by Chicago's defense to prevent any damage.
 
Chicago and UR would combine for just two shots the rest of the period, both wide of the mark from Bisenic and Max Weene, and headed into the locker room deadlocked at zero.
 
UChicago went on the offensive to start the second half, with a 49th-minute shot from Kai Walsh just curling wide of the post, while Alex Gomas' 49th-minute attempt sailed high. The Maroons then earned a corner but couldn't take advantage, while Bisenic forced Dhirpal Shah's first save of the night on the other end with his 55th-minute shot.
 
The Maroons' keeper made three saves on the night, while Lupica-Tondo equaled him on the opposite end of the field with three saves as well.
 
Ashton Prescott forced Shah's second save of the night a little over seven minutes later, while Robbie Pino and Walsh saw their 65th and 67th-minute attempts blocked, resulting in a Chicago corner.
 
Walsh's opportunity came off a giveaway in the defensive third for UR, but Anandarajah made a tremendous play to keep Walsh in front of him and knocked his shot away.
 
Pino would get another opportunity in the 75th minute, with a clean header on a cross from the right side, but the grad student headed the ball just wide of the net, keeping things scoreless with just over 15 minutes to play.
 
Three minutes later, Kamal Ibrahim got the ball on a breakaway with a chance to score, but Shah did well to close in on the UR forward, blocking Ibrahim's first attempt from just outside the box on the 1v1 opportunity, while the graduate student's second attempt on the chip over Shah's head sailed to the left of the goal.
 
That'd be Rochester's last shot the night, with Chicago again pressing ahead over the final 12 minutes, taking six shots before the final buzzer.
 
UR's defense blocked a pair from Danny Mendoza and Pino, while Lupica-Tondo saved another from Leuker in the 80th minute.
 
In the 84th minute following a yellow card on UR, Lyndon Hu attempted a free kick from just outside the box, curling it just out of Lupica-Tondo's reach, but also wide of the mark. Jadyn Hsieh-Bailey had his shot blocked in the 86th minute before William Raenden sent Chicago's last attempt wide right before the horn sounded.
 
Rochester moves to 6-2-3 (0-0-1 UAA) with the draw, while the Maroons now sit at 5-5-1 (0-0-1 UAA) on the year.
 
Bisenic led UR with four shots, while Leuker, Pino and Walsh each had three to lead the Maroons.
 
The Yellowjackets continue UAA play next Saturday, Oct. 12 when they host Carnegie Mellon University at 1:30 p.m. at Fauver Stadium.