UR breezes past Wells

Courtesy of UofRAthletics.com

FAUVER STADIUM – The University of Rochester had seven goalscorers as the Yellowjackets posted a 7-2 men’s soccer victory over Wells College on Saturday evening.

Rochester saw a 3-0 lead chopped down to 3-2 after 60 minutes, but rebounded to score twice in the next 16 minutes (5-2) and added two final goals in the last three minutes. The win boosted UR’s record to 5-1-2 overall. Wells is 1-4-1 and has lost four in a row.

UR’s goal scorers were: Lasha Alkhazishvili, Bryce Ikeda, Alex Di Perna, Aleks Dombrowski, Patrice Douge, Aidan Miller, and Jono Morgan. Alec Hay had two assists. Ikeda, Cristian Baltier, Josh Saitsky, Nate Leopold, and Geoffrey Rouin had one assist each.

For Wells, Junger Vargas assisted on the first goal (scored by Kevin Schrank) and scored the second. His 1v1 goal cut the margin to 3-2 and Rochester’s close chances after that wound up in the back of the net as the Yellowjackets pulled away.

Each team split its goalkeeping chores. Redd Brown made one save and allowed one goal for Rochester in the first 45 minutes. He was relieved by Patrick Conway who allowed one second half goal (no saves). Rochester held an overall 31-3 advantage in shots (18-3 on goal) and a 10-1 margin on corner kicks.

Owen May played the first half in goal for Wells (three saves, three GA). Cam Davis came on at halftime. He made seven saves and allowed four goals. Tom Schuette had a team save for Wells in the first half, heading a ball off the line in the last 90 seconds when May blocked a shot and Scheutte took care of the rebound. Those saves denied Dombrowski and Aidan Miller.

UR scored twice in the first 15 minutes. Conroy’s corner kick ripped across the crease and Dombrowski was there to head it into the left side of the goal at 6:17. Nine minutes later, Rouin centered the ball from left wing and Ikeda headed home from close range. DiPerna made it 3-0 in the 37^th minute.

Vargas helped put Wells on the board in the 38^th minute. He ran down left wing and sent an ankle-high pass into the box where Schrank was able to volley it inside the right post. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Vargas struck by himself. He ran down a long ball on left wing, cut toward net, wrong-footed a defender and placed his shot just inside the right post as Conway charged off the line.

Ikeda ran a wall pass with Dombrowski in the 69^th minute with Dombrowski touching it home from eight yards out. With less than 14 minutes left, it grew to 5-2. Off a corner kick and the assorted caroms in the packed penalty area, Hay pushed the ball out to Douge who hit a shot that found its way through a tangle of bodies and legs to nestle in the back of the net (5-2). Hay got his second assist as the middleman in a three-person combo with three minutes left. Baltier pushed the ball out to Hay who centered it and Miller headed in the sixth goal. Morgan drove a long shot into the left corner of the goal off a pass from Saitsky with 90 seconds remaining.

Rochester returns to Fauver Stadium on Tuesday evening to host Alfred University at 7 pm. The Yellowjackets open the University Athletic Association campaign on September 30 against the University of Chicago at 11 am. Wells opens its Northeast Athletic Conference (NEAC) schedule in four days – on Wednesday at Penn College. The Express start a three-game homestand on September 30.