CORTLAND, N.Y. – Matt Shultz (Oneonta) and Mateo Marra (Ossining) each scored a first-half goal, and junior goalkeeper Jordan Ott (Fort Worth, Tx./Southwest Christian) saved a penalty in the 83rd minute to secure a 2-1 victory for the nationally 13th-ranked Cortland men's soccer team over Rochester on Friday evening on Holloway Field. Cortland moves to 1-0-0 with the win, while Rochester begins the season at 0-1-0.

Marra and Shultz each had a game-high two shots on goal, while Ott stopped three attempts on target for the victory. Logan Comfort (Cazenovia) and Matias Valenzuela Matic (Santiago, Chile/Northwood School) added an assist apiece.

Johnny Makula (Rochester) scored the lone goal for the Yellowjackets, with Kamal Ibrahim (Bronx/Choate Rosemary Hall, Ct.) providing the assist. Santino Lupica-Tondo (Weston, Fl./Cypress Bay) made two saves.

In the first half, the Red Dragons controlled play, outshooting Rochester 8-2 with a 6-1 edge in corner kicks. Just past the half-hour mark, Comfort intercepted the ball in the midfield and fed Shultz down the left sideline. The senior cut inside and rifled a shot off the right goalpost and into the bottom left corner of the net to give Cortland the lead at 30:08. Valenzuela Matic nearly doubled the Cortland lead seven minutes later, but his shot went off the crossbar and out for a goal kick.
Marra made it 2-0 in the 41st minute, taking a pass from Valenzuela Matic that was perfectly weighted and sliding a shot into the net. Ott collected the only shot on goal for Rochester of the first half to give its two-goal advantage into halftime.  

Rochester began to up the pressure in the second half, and pulled to within a goal at 67:43. A long ball from the Yellowjackets' back line was shouldered across by Ibrahim to Makula, who needed just two touches before curving a shot past a sliding Ott. In the closing ten minutes, Rochester had its best chance to equalize after the referee awarded a penalty kick after a foul in the box. Ibrahim stepped up to take the spot kick, but Ott dove calmly to his left to deny the potential equalizer.

Despite Rochester continuing to press forward, the Red Dragons were able to suppress the opposition with precision passing over the final five-plus minutes to secure the win.

Cortland 2, Rochester 1

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Cortland: Matt Shultz 1-0, Mateo Marra 1-0, Logan Comfort 0-1, Matias Valenzuela Matic 0-1
Rochester: Johnny Makula 1-0, Kamal Ibrahim 0-1


Halftime: Cortland 2, Rochester 0
Shots: Cortland 14, Rochester 6
Corner Kicks: Cortland 8, Rochester 4
Fouls: Rochester 12, Cortland 11

Saves: Jordan Ott (Cortland) 3 saves (1 GA in 90:00); Santino Lupica-Tondo (Rochester) 2 saves (2 GA in 90:00) 
Record after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 1-0-0 (ranked 13th nationally in Div. III); Rochester (Yellowjackets) 0-1-0