The men’s soccer team began a three-game road trip on Saturday by dropping a close 1-0 decision to Salisbury University.
Both teams came into the game with just one loss on their records. This was reflected in the gameplay, as the teams battled back and forth throughout the first half. At the halftime whistle the two sides were deadlocked at 0-0.
The first half statistics told a different story, however, as Rochester outshot the Sea Gulls 5-0. They also earned four corner kicks to Salisbury’s one, but could not find the back of the net.
The second half started off with more of the same, but in the 77th minute the Yellowjackets almost took control. Junior Matt Sulkin crossed the ball into the penalty area and fellow junior Patrick Ripp charged through for a clean header. The shot sailed just wide, however, and the contest remained scoreless.
With under seven minutes left in regulation, Salisbury delivered a crushing blow to UR. A counterattack by the Sea Gulls led to a breakaway by Salisbury senior Wijy Jones. He slid a shot past UR goalie Paco Corbalan and into the lower right corner of the net. Rochester tried to even the score in the waning moments of the game, but came up on the short end of the 1-0 outcome.
The second half statistics were much more even than the first. While Rochester still earned more corner kicks than Salisbury, the Yellowjackets were outshot 9-3 in the half.
The ‘Jackets continue their road trip on Friday at New York University in a University Athletic Association showdown. UR then visits cross-town rivals Rochester Institute of Technology on Tuesday.
Moeller can be reached at amoeller@campustimes.org.
