CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Rochester men's soccer team scored three second-half goals less than 10 minutes apart in earning a 3-1 victory over nationally 10th-ranked Cortland Thursday afternoon in the season-opening game for both teams at Holloway Field.

Junior Marco Cottone (Syosset/Syosset) scored the Red Dragons' goal with senior Riley WIlliams (Watertown/South Jefferson) collecting an assist. Senior goalie Braden Melveney (Syracuse/Cicero-North Syracuse) registered three saves.

Senior Tony Hypsher (Kennesaw, GA/Marietta) scored twice for the Yellowjackets, and junior Othman Belhseine (Rochester/Greece Athena) recorded one goal and one assist. Juniors Charlie Shanks (Litchfield, CT/Taft School) and Santi Ponce Ocampo (Harrison) and sophomore Avi Lamba (Centreville, VA/Flint Hill School) each added an assist. Junior goalie Santino Lupica-Tonto (Weston, FL/Cypress Bay) turned aside seven shots.

Cortland created the two best chances to score in the opening half, but Lupica-Tonto denied senior Ian Blugh's (Staten Island/Curtis) bid on a corner kick in the 17th minute and stopped junior AJ Ali's (Rochester/Brighton) one-time strike on the left side at the left post in the 33rd minute.

The Yellowjackets started their scoring run in the 53rd minute when Belhseine one-timed a cross from the right under the crossbar. Hypsher's first goal less than two minutes later came on a shot inside the right post from the middle of the box after a touch pass from Belhseine. Hypsher made it a 3-0 score in the 61st minute with a shot from the right side of the box that went off Melveney's hand and into the left side of the goal.

In the 75th minute, Cottone put the Red Dragons on the scoreboard, converting a long throw in from Williams with a one-time half volley from 15 yards away. Cortland nearly cut into the lead again in the 83rd minute, but Lupica-Tonto made a save on sophomore Hans Schumacher's (Owls Head/Franklin Academy) long shot that was labeled for the upper right corner. The Red Dragons continued to press, but Rochester kept Cortland from any other scoring chances to seal the 3-1 win.

Rochester 3, Cortland 1

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Rochester: Tony Hypsher 2-0, Othman Belhseine 1-1, Charlie Shanks 0-1, Avi Lamba 0-1, Santi Ponce Ocampo 0-1
Cortland: Marco Cottone 1-0, Riley Williams 0-1

Halftime: Cortland 0, Rochester 0
Shots: Cortland 15, Rochester 9
Corner Kicks: Cortland 11, Rochester 3
Fouls: Cortland 18, Rochester 8
Saves: Santino Lupica-Tonto (Rochester) 7 saves (1 GA in 90:00); Braden Melveney (Cortland) 3 saves (3 GA in 90:00)

Record after game: Rochester (Yellowjackets) 1-0; Cortland (Red Dragons) 0-1 (ranked 10th nationally in Div. III)