Men's Soccer 10/7/2010 12:32:18 AM

Soccer Excitement in the Bronx

Through 13 games the Lightning men's soccer team has learned a few things:

1) When in doubt, get the ball to Gilherme Silva and let him make something happen
2) Geovanny Arredondo and Assami Valian can score in multiple ways
3) It pays to be lucky sometimes

All three of those things were on display on Wednesday night in the Bronx as Lehman turned away a feisty York College team to earn the 3-2 victory.

The combination of Silva and Arredondo put the Lightning on the board first in the 17th minute, when Arredondo converted a cross from Silva with a header past York keeper Qudus Kassim. It was the third time this season that Silva has assisted on an Arredondo goal, the others coming against NYU Polytechnic and Baruch College.

The game stayed 1-0 in Lehman's favor heading into halftime despite several chances to add on by the Lightning, a theme that continues to irk Coach Joe Andre.

“We're a young team and we're still trying to find that killer instinct to put teams away,” said Andre of his team that is comprised strictly of underclassmen.

That inability to extend the lead came back to bite Lehman in the 46th minute when defenseman Babatunde Oyetunji was whistled for a hand ball in the goal box. Given a penalty kick opportunity, York's Khadim Kebe converted to knot the game at 1-1.

Energized by Kebe's goal, York produced several outstanding chances in an attempt to take the lead.

In the 59th minute, Millus's cross was headed just wide by a diving Rachidi Amadou. Two minutes later Lehman had a man in the right place at the right time as defenseman Rafael Abbondanza steered a deflected ball that had beaten keeper Marcos Coto-Batres away from the goal line.

Lehman caught their biggest break of the night in the 63rd minute. Clearly beaten by a long pass down the right side, Thaddeus Ikwuka took down a streaking Kebe to give the Cardinals their second penalty kick of the game. For a moment, Coach Andre let his mind slip back to the Lightning's loss to Mitchell College earlier in the season, a game in which Lehman gave up two goals on penalty kicks.

“All I could think about was what Yogi Berra said about it being déjà vu all over again,” said Andre.

As luck would have it, Kebe banged his ensuing shot off the crossbar to keep the game tied at 1-1.

York's pressure paid off in the 67th minute, however, as Ousmane Toure headed home a cross from Hugo Cicanois to put the Cardinals up 2-1.

Their lead proved to be short-lived when Lehman tied the score 2-2 on a nifty move by Valian in the 69th minute. Nearly offsides, Valian corralled a deep pass from midfield, sidestepped an onrushing Kassim and touched the ball into the net to deadlock the game once again.

Silva showed his worth once again in the 76th minute as he took a pass from Arredondo and struck it on the fly past Kassim for the eventual game winner, his fifth goal of the year.

“That was a world class goal,” marveled Andre. “If he lets it come down, he doesn't score.”

York would have one final chance to prolong the game but McLaney Moise's header sailed just high in the 85th minute.

Sitting at 4-1-1 in the conference, Lehman travels to Brooklyn to square off against New York City College of Technology on Saturday with a huge game against Hunter looming a week from today in the Bronx.

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