WALTHAM, MA – The University of Rochester men's soccer team suffered its first loss of University Athletic Association (UAA) conference play on Saturday, falling to the Brandeis University Judges, 2-1, at Gordon Field.
Two first-half scores proved to be too much for the Yellowjackets to overcome, as despite an early, second-half tally from
Daniel Steinacher, URochester couldn't come up with the equalizer.
After two early corners from the Judges, Rochester earned a corner of its own just shy of the three-and-a-half minute mark, while
Milos Bisenic picked up the first shot of the game in the seventh minute, with his attempt from inside the box blocked by Brandeis' defense.
In the 17th minute, Brandeis' Keller Chamovitz put the first shot on goal of the contest, a long-distance attempt
Aidan Hartman dived at and knocked away, resulting in a corner. Chamovitz took two more shots over the next six minutes, but both sailed wide, while
Will Fallona put Rochester's first shot on goal on the other end in the 21st minute.
Fallona's header was on target, but right at Benny Shin for the first of four saves for the Judges' goalie, who'd come up with another stop less than six minutes later.
Off a throw-in down the right side in the 27th minute,
Lucas Lee nearly found the back of the net. Lee, from just inside the box, curled in a shot towards the far post, but Shin made a leaping save, just getting his left glove on it.
Shin quickly booted the ball downfield, and on the counterattack, the Judges would take the lead. Aidan Chuang raced down the far sideline with the ball and found Chamovitz with a through ball, who one-timed it into the upper-left corner to give Brandeis a 1-0 lead.
The Judges then doubled their lead heading into the locker room in the 43rd minute, as Charlie Culbert found Joaquin Sanchez-Korenfeld with a long cross from the right wing, which Sanchez-Korenfeld finished with his left foot to give Brandeis a 2-0 lead.
Down a pair, Rochester turned up the offensive pressure to start the second half, with three shots and a corner over the first six minutes before Steinacher broke through. Shots from
Kyle Wong and Lee sailed wide early, while the Judges successfully defended a UR corner.
Then in the 52nd minute, Ballesteros found some space off a short throw-in and rocketed a shot from the end of the box on goal. And while Shin made the leaping save, Steinacher was there to put the rebound in the back of the net, cutting the Judges' lead in half.
With the lead cut in half, the 'Jackets continued to press, with shots by Fallona and
Brennan Franklin over the next five minutes, but Fallona's shot was blocked, resulting in a corner, while Shin punched away Franklin's attempt from the right wing for another save.
Hartman came through with another save in the 66th minute to prevent Brandeis from retaking a two-goal lead, stopping Sanchez-Korenfeld's blast on the first of two Brandeis corner kicks Rochester turned away. The Yellowjackets would turn away four more Brandeis corners down the stretch of the second half, before making a late push to try and find an equalizer.
A corner kick in the 78th minute wouldn't yield a shot, but in the waning moments, Rochester would have two chances, the first off
Johnny Makula's foot, and the second from Steinacher.
With just under three minutes left, Makula sent a shot across the face of goal but wide, resulting in a goal kick. Then with six seconds left, Steinacher bounced a cross from Bisenic towards goal, but it sailed just outside the far post.
The loss drops UR to 4-6-4 (1-1-1 UAA) on the season, while Brandeis moves to 4-6-3 (1-2 UAA) with the win.
Individually, four Yellowjackets, Ballesteros, Fallona, Lee and Steinacher, each had two shots, while Hartman made three saves in goal.
As a team, Brandeis outshot UR, 16-12, with both teams putting five shots on goal, while the Judges also held an 11-5 edge on corner kicks.
The Yellowjackets will be back on the road next Friday, Oct. 23 when they open up their UAA weekend at WashU in St. Louis, MO, with a matchup against the Bears at 5:00 p.m. (CT).
