Men's Soccer 10/31/2010 1:33:53 AM

Lightning Headed to Championship

Only one word can aptly describe the performance turned in by Lehman goalkeeper Marcos Coto-Batres in the semifinals of the CUNYAC/Applebee's Championships.

That word is spectacular.

And because of Coto-Batres outstanding night between the posts, Lehman is heading to the championship match in men's soccer for the first time in school history after its 2-1 shootout win over Baruch College at the Metropolitan Oval on Saturday night.

“He came up big,” said Lehman coach Joe Andre when speaking of his keeper. “That's his best game since he's been in the program, hands down.”

Coto-Batres had no choice but to come up big as Baruch peppered him from the start with shot after shot. However, no save was more important than his diving deflection of Jason Lopez's final penalty kick attempt for Baruch.

“I was wondering what side to go to, what side to go to, and coach said, 'Just pick a side and stick to it,” recalled Coto-Batres. “Thank god I picked the right side. I dove as hard as I could and boom.”

The save set off a jubilant celebration by a Lightning team that came into the match as the No. 5 seeded underdog to top seeded Baruch.

It was Lehman, however, that threw the first haymaker of the night in the 14th minute. Following a foul on Baruch, Enes Dervisevic's free kick from the left side pounded off the crossbar in perfect position for Paulin Haxhari to put away the rebound and give the Lightning the early 1-0 lead.

Baruch did not gain its top seed status for nothing, though, as Andreas Hansson, Val Kirykovich and Kyle Keague continually put pressure on the Lightning back line. Their pressure was rewarded in the 24th minute when Lehman's Thaddeus Ikwuka was called for a hand ball, resulting in a penalty kick opportunity for the Bearcats. Ibek Abdrahmanov calmly converted to knot the score at 1-1.

“I thought the penalty kick would come back to haunt us once again,” said Andre, whose Lightning team lost a heartbreaker to Mitchell College earlier this season due to two converted penalty kicks.

Little did either side know that 86 minutes of scoreless play would follow, though not without multiple near misses by both teams, particularly by Baruch, and several outstanding saves by Coto-Batres.

Just before halftime, Coto-Batres came to the rescue for the Lightning, making an incredible diving save to get a hand on shot by Kirykovich that had tiebreaker written all over it. In the 58th minute Coto-Batres put on his cape once again to punch an Igor Poliski header attempt over the crossbar and preserve the 1-1 deadlock.

Lehman made a play to end it in the 82nd minute when Geovanny Arredondo, with a defender in his back pocket, hit a swerving shot seemingly out of nowhere that sailed just wide of the left post.

With neither team able to convert after regulation and two overtime periods, both squads headed to penalty kicks where the Lightning prevailed thanks to Coto-Batres and conversions by Dervisevic and Arredondo.

Now just two years after having started as a club sport, Lehman finds itself in the championship next Saturday.

“Believe it or not I thought last year we had as good a chance as anyone but we weren't really deep,” said an overjoyed Andre. “I said to myself if they don't get us [last year], then I don't think they're going to get us.”

Only one more team stands in the way for the Lightning.

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