Box Score
The Lehman College men's soccer team (6-11 Overall, 5-4 CUNYAC) won its third consecutive contest, defeating the Cougars of Medgar Evers College (6-9-2 Overall, 5-3-1 CUNYAC) by a score of 2-1 on Senior Night at the South Field in the Bronx.
Prior to the contest, the Lehman College athletic department, including Sports Information Director Stephen Spagnoli, Director of Athletics, Dr. Martin L. Zwiren, Vice President of Student Affairs Jose Magdaleno, and soccer head coach Joe Andre' honored two graduating seniors – Osama Yousef and Daniel Brentuo. Both seniors contributed two years to the program, and each player was presented with commemorative plaques to show appreciation for their efforts over the past two seasons.
Both teams battled in the first half to score a goal, but neither team was able to get on the scoreboard for the first 44 minutes of play. Finally, in the final minute of the half, Olavo De Paula blasted a shot past Cougar goaltender Kerri Pryce at the 44:14 mark to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead, a score that would hold up as the half came to a close. For the first half of action – the Cougars blased 12 shots compared to seven for Lehman. The Lightning were guilty of nine fouls while Medgar Evers was whistled for three.
In the second half, the feisty Cougars were able to tie the game when Duane Trellis would net a goal, pulling his team even at the 63:56 mark. Sharard Sullivan would pick up an assist on the score. It was the first goal that Lehman College goalkeeper Michael Hintze had allowed in 293:01, a truly remarkable statistic.
Both teams would then battle back-and-forth, with Medgar Evers controlling the offensive tempo of the game for the majority of the ensuing 13 minutes. The Lightning did have an opportunity however, as Amirouche Ait-Hamouda broke out on a breakaway and was fouled by the Cougars' Sherwin Henry who was red carded and ejected from the game. That foul set up a penalty kick for Lehman, and it was De Paula doing the honors as he buried the ball past Pryce for his second tally of the game, giving Lehman a 2-1 lead at the 77:08 mark. The Lightning, thanks to some stingy defense and gritty goaltending, were able to hold off the Cougars for the victory.
For the contest, Medgar Evers held a convincing 24-9 edge in shots taken despite the loss. Lehman committed 16 fouls compared to nine for Medgar Evers.
With the win, the Lightning earned the No. 5 seed in the upcoming CUNYAC Men's Soccer Tournament, and their opponent will be none other than the Medgar Evers Cougars who earned the No. 4 seed. The game will take place on Wednesday, October 28th, but the time and location of the contest are still to-be-announced. Keep it posted to www.lehmanathletics.com for all of the latest information on that CUNYAC quarterfinal round contest.
