Men's Soccer 11/6/2010 11:38:15 PM

Tough Loss Ends Great Season

When the final whistle sounded the clock may have showed 6:15 p.m., but it felt more like midnight to Lehman as its Cinderella run through the CUNYAC/Applebee's Championships came to an end at the feet of Hunter, 2-0, on Saturday at the Met Oval.

Having already breezed by the College of Staten Island in the quarterfinals and shocked top-seeded Baruch in the semifinals, Lehman was looking to capture the first men's soccer championship in school history, in only its second year as a varsity program no less.

The match figured to be a low scoring affair based on the previous game played between the two, a 1-0 Hunter victory in overtime back on October 13th. Through the first half that's exactly how it played out, with both teams making periodic runs in the other's offensive end but coming away empty.

Hunter had the best chance at breaking the stalemate at 37:14 of the first half when Mario Baez controlled a bouncing ball to the right of the net and fired just wide of the left post. Several minutes later Baez was on the attack again with a clear path to the net, but his shot was kicked away by a sprawling Marcos Coto-Batres, the first of several sensational saves he would make on the day.

With the half nearing completion, Hunter would break through when Hugo Durand's cross sailed just over the outstretched hand of Coto-Batres and met the head of Baez in perfect position to put the Hawks up 1-0 and send the Hunter faithful that had gathered into delirium. For Lehman coach Joe Andre, the goal was the result of a breakdown in aggressiveness.

“It was a 50-50 challenge that wasn't there,” explained Andre. “If we challenged aggressively, we could have at least stalled the attack and there's a good chance that goal doesn't happen. Those are the balls you have to get to all the time. You can't hesitate.”

Baez's tally before halftime allowed Hunter to follow the formula that it had perfected throughout the season, one of scoring one or two goals and then letting its defense dig in its' heels. On the year, Hunter held opponents to only 1.06 goals per game, tops in the CUNYAC. If Lehman was going to pull out the win, it was going to have to up the intensity, something Coach Andre was fully aware of.

“I told the team at halftime, 'You've got to come out fighting,'” said Andre. “No one is going to give it to you. You've got to go out there, give it your all and try and take this thing.”

Andre might not have channeled his inner Knute Rockne, but his words of encouragement clearly had an effect on the Lightning who came out of the half with a greater sense of urgency.

Despite the Lightning's improved attacking, Hunter had two chances to add some cushion during a quick two-minute flurry less than 20 minutes into the second half. In the 61st minute, Saif Zureikat shot just wide followed by Anthony Intrabartolo's attempt at glory in the 63rd minute, a shot that was turned away by another superb save by Coto-Batres.

With time ticking away and Lehman not able break through the Hunter back line, frustration set in in the form of a red card and ejection of Enes Dervisevic in the 83rd minute. Less than one minute later with the Lightning playing a man down, the Hawks put the match away thanks to Zureikat.

Able to beat the Lightning's defensive stalwart, Thaddeus Ikwuka, in a footrace to a ball played down the middle of the field, Zureikat iced the championship by putting a shot under a sliding Coto-Batres who had raced out to try and cut the angle. As the Hunter benched erupted with joy, dreams of a title for Lehman were essentially ended with the Hawks holding the 2-0 advantage.

In the end, what started as a season of uncertainty for Lehman given the inexperience of the team could only be described as one of positive developments by Coach Andre.

“We had a terrific season,” noted Andre. “They played a heck of a quarterfinals, a heck of a semifinals. We'd have loved to take it all, but the season we've had in the second year as a program, to be in the championship game and having hope for bigger and better things, it's a good position to be in.”

Quite possibly, 2011 could be the year that Lehman wears the glass slipper.

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