PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – The 19th-ranked University of Rochester women's soccer team scored three times in the second half to vault past visiting Houghton University 3-0 on Tuesday evening in the 2026 season opener at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
Delia McMullen,
Lauren Blanch and
Natalie Santangelo scored the goals for the Yellowjackets (1-0), while
Sydney Holmes picked up a pair of assists, coming on the bookending goals. In goal,
Eleni McGuire made two saves in the shutout.
Overall, the Yellowjacket defense was stout, holding the Highlanders (0-1) to just three total shot attempts, with Rochester finishing with 27 shots offensively. Santangelo (7) and McMullen (6) combined for nearly half of that team total, with
Femke Laudy adding four shot attempts as well.
URochester's first chance of the game came at the 7-minute mark, when after a shot by Santangelo, the ball wriggled loose in the box, but Houghton keeper Olivia Short was able to recover and fall on the ball before
Jane Mueller could attack the free ball.
Houghton's opening shot attempt came at 10:14 into the game from Elena Esh who uncorked a 25-yard blast from the left wing, but McGuire saw the ball the whole way and easily made the save.
The Yellowjackets continued to pepper Short over the next several minutes, registering eight shots in eight minutes.
During that stretch,
Claudia Ferreira had a solid opportunity on a give-and-go with Laudy along the left side, with the junior making a cut inside for a 10-yard shot, only to have it saved by a diving Short in goal.
Fellow defender
Remi Cherkas got in on the shot parade in the 19th minute, ripping a hard shot from over 30 yards out that dipped towards the bottom left corner, but Short came up with another save, one of six during the opening half.
At intermission, the Yellowjacket coaching staff made the tactical adjustments necessary to jumpstart the scoring, with McMullen providing the would be game-winner just three minutes into the second half.
On the play, Holmes possessed at the right sideline and after dribbling up towards midfield, slipped a pass up to McMullen who was one-on-one with a defender. The sophomore won the battle, took a right foot shot from 12 yards that finally beat Short, depositing the goal into the upper left part of the net.
The lead doubled less than two minutes later, with Blanch recording her first of the season, out-muscling a defender at the edge of the 6-yard box.
Eileen Harvey sent a long ball into the box that Blanch deflected on, but was blocked. With the ball loose in front, Blanch took control and lunged at it, scoring her goal just inside the left post.
URochester's final tally in a dominant second half came in the 61st minute.
A terrific effort to win the ball from Holmes deep in the far corner ended with the senior curling in a pass into the box where Santangelo was cutting towards the left post. Santangelo stuck her left foot on it, and ended up chipping the ball from the edge of the six over Short and into the net for the 3-0 lead.
Over the remaining 29 minutes, Houghton could only generate one corner kick and one shot on goal, leading to the shutout win for the 'Jackets.
Up next, URochester travels to the Keene State College Tournament this weekend, facing off against Gordon College on Saturday and Wentworth Institute of Technology the following morning.
